Alimentar el Barrio: Farmers´ Market, a New Opportunity to Drive Change

Abstract

In Barcelona, food markets have always been a symbol of the city. In recent decades, by adapting to new forms of consumption, they have conformed to largescale distribution, selling only a small percentage of local farmers’ products. Through the project described below—“Alimentar el Barrio”—actions have been undertaken to support farmers, by improving the current market system with low-impact micro-interventions. The research describes a way to create a new “system” of market making to promote local culture and products, thus regenerating the urban space, driving communities towards responsible food consumption, and spreading best practices. This paper shows how design and communication can provide farmers with an adequate physical and culture-driven infrastructure, to increase their competitiveness and decrease inequalities of the large-scale distribution.