09.19.25
'Benvinguts a Pagès' honours the primary sector with an event marking ten years of the Catalan farming celebration
Barcelona's Palau de Pedralbes this afternoon hosted a tribute to the country's primary sector coinciding with the tenth anniversary of Barcelona's Palau de Pedralbes this afternoon hosted a tribute to the country's primary sector coinciding with the tenth anniversary of Benvinguts a Pagès. Some thirty Catalan farmers and managers of rural accommodation and local-cuisine restaurants who have taken part in the great farming celebration since the first edition in 2016 received a warm tribute from the Government of Catalonia, with the participation of the ministers for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, Òscar Ordeig, and for Business and Labour, Miquel Sàmper. "Ten years ago, Benvinguts a Pagès it was born with a clear purpose: to open the farming world to the whole public. Since then it has grown in strength, community and impact. It has become a loved, recognised brand, a gateway to rural Catalonia and a shared story of locality, sustainability and pride in who we are and what we produce", said the Agriculture Minister. For his part the Minister for Business and Labour noted that "with projects such as Benvinguts a Pagès and the World Region of Gastronomy we do justice to the origin of everything we eat, making visible and explaining who and what lies behind what ends up on our tables".
Round table, anthem and birthday cake
The event at Palau de Pedralbes included a round table with Guillem Comas (Granja Comas), Rosa Maria Rabassa (Turisme Rural Mas Romeu d'Arbúcies) and Enric Millà (Restaurant El Dien), who explained how the project has helped Benvinguts a Pagès them in their daily work and allowed them to build a direct relationship with the public. Enric Millà said the project "lets people understand farming through its protagonists, their stories and experiences", Guillem Comas noted that "we manage to break down barriers between big cities and the countryside and we get recognition that is very important to us", while Maria Rosa Rabassa highlighted the opportunity it gives children to "get out of the city, come to the countryside and understand things as basic yet important as the fact that eggs don't come out of the fridge".
To celebrate these ten years of the farming open-doors weekend the anthem of Benvinguts a Pagès was premiered, written and performed by singer Cesc Sansalvadó , and the candles were blown out on a special birthday cake. The event ended in the gardens of Palau de Pedralbes with a tasting of products that can be sampled across Catalonia on the first weekend of October.
Benvinguts a Pagès La Festa the farming open-doors weekend returns across Catalonia this autumn on 4 and 5 October with more than 300 participants , including farming, livestock and fishing operations, rural accommodation, parallel activities, small producers and local-cuisine restaurants. The great farming celebration is now the benchmark weekend for rediscovering where our food comes from, learning about the daily life of the country's farmers and buying directly from producers. Across the first nine editions more than 220,000 people have visited farms for an authentic experience shared with family, partners or friends.
Everything on offer, through the website
The website benvingutsapages.cat is the reference tool for checking the participants for the weekend of 4 and 5 October and makes the compulsory advance booking for guided farm visits. The tenth edition's programme features guided visits to around eighty farming and livestock holdings, 40 parallel activities, some eighty rural accommodation providers, eight artisan producers and more than a hundred local-cuisine restaurants across the country. Guided visits cost €2.50 for people over 15 (free for children and young people) and the money goes entirely towards the costs farmers bear in preparing the open-doors weekend.
The project
The Benvinguts a Pagès project is led by the Government of Catalonia in a joint initiative between the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, through Prodeca, and the Department of Business and Labour, through the Catalan Tourist Board.
Benvinguts a Pagès was created in 2016, coinciding with the Catalonia, European Region of Gastronomy distinction and this year celebrates its tenth anniversary coinciding with the Catalonia, World Region of Gastronomy recognition. Partners include the Alícia Foundation, Barcelona Provincial Council, SX3 (CCMA), Barcelona City Council, the Catalan Youth Agency, the Department of Social Rights, the comarcal councils, the comarcal offices of the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, tourism consortia and offices and other organisations working to raise the profile and promote the sector. This Government initiative has become a way of promoting product sales and supporting the participating farming and fishing operations, aimed at the general public but especially at families, seniors, foodies and young people.
