An association to rejuvenate Pyrenean mountainous areas and foster a new generation of shepherds
Rurbans association was born in 2003 and since 2009, it runs the School of Shepherds of Catalonia, that trains future shepherds and farmers.
Rurbans’ main mission is to guarantee the generational succession of extensive livestock farming through the incorporation of new agents in the primary sector with an agroecological approach.
Most of our students are newcomers to agriculture and breeding. They are not direct descendants of peasant farmers and do not have land to start their own projects. This group faces many obstacles, which hamper their ability to start their projects. These include the high levels of competition among farmers, with retailers driving out those who are less competitive, and speculative investment in land which drives up prices. At the same time, they have the desire and ability to recapture the spirit of peasant agriculture and use if to inform new ways of managing agriculture and cattle.
We want extensive, sustainable, profitable livestock farming recognized by society as a whole. We want our farmers to make a dignified living as an innovative farmer, who can live with dignity and happiness by selling a quality product that is responsible for the environment. We want a new generation of farmers to promote a change in the current paradigm of the sector, basing their activity on an agroecological model.