First phase: diagnosis and articulation of actors
The first stages of the process focused on understanding the functioning of Valencia’s food system and identifying the actors involved in the production, distribution and consumption of food. This work brought together public administrations, agricultural organisations, social entities and agents of the food system to define common priorities.
During this phase , spaces for dialogue between institutions and civil society were consolidated and progress was made in the construction of a territorial food strategy linked to the peri-urban garden. The aim was to connect agricultural policy, urban planning and food policies.
Second phase: territorial expansion and short circuits
The second phase of the project extends the intervention from the city of Valencia to its metropolitan and regional surroundings. The objective is to integrate the productive garden into the governance and food supply of the territory.
In this stage , short marketing circuits are reinforced and initiatives that connect local production and consumption are articulated. These include the development of the Ecotira cooperative collection centre in Mercavalència, an infrastructure that brings together the supply of organic and local food to facilitate its distribution to shops, markets and restaurants.
During this phase , the institutional and social alliances that underpin the territory’s food policy are also strengthened, to provide greater management capacity to the Agricultural Development Plan of l’Horta de València
SAT 3 València: consolidation of the food strategy
This third phase is aimed at consolidating the spaces for decision-making, coordination and execution of the food policies developed in the territory. The aim is to strengthen the governance structures created in previous phases and to provide them with greater management capacity to implement the territorial food strategy.
This work seeks to ensure the continuity of public policies that favor local agricultural production, access to land and the development of proximity marketing circuits.
A territorial food policy process
Throughout its different phases, Territori Horta has built a network of cooperation between public institutions, agricultural organisations, social entities and agents of the food system. This process reinforces the role of l’Horta de València as a strategic agricultural territory and as a basis for the development of sustainable food policies in the metropolitan area.