Leather Cluster Barcelona joins World Agriculture Day and champions the key role of rural areas in the sustainability of the territory

Every 9 September, World Agriculture Day is celebrated as a tribute to the people who devote their lives to working the land in order to produce food of the highest quality.

A date that should serve as a reminder that food production is the oldest and most essential of all human activities, and that agriculture and livestock farming are indispensable economic sectors for the development of every country and for ensuring the sustainability of their territories.

This anniversary is also an excellent opportunity to celebrate the tireless work of farmers and livestock breeders, a group that is indispensable for guaranteeing the population’s food supply.

On this World Agriculture Day, Leather Cluster Barcelona wishes to invite collective reflection on the importance of rural areas for the sustainability of the territory.

Over recent decades, the abandonment of traditional agricultural activities, such as crop growing and grazing, has translated into an increase in forest cover. What were once farmed fields have been transformed into woodland, and this growth in forest mass has become a major risk when it comes to controlling and preventing fires, which also have an impact on the carbon footprint and on climate change.

The rural economy must be protected in order to prevent its abandonment. We need to support farmers and livestock breeders so that they have decent conditions in which to work the fields and graze their herds, because cultivated fields are natural firebreaks and pastures reduce the destructive power of fire.