Defining a Peri-Urban Agrarian Space as a Socio-Spatial and Environmental Unit. Lessons from Barcelona’s Local Food System

In recent years, Catalonia and Barcelona’s various government levels have actively participated in food planning processes, responding to both a global trend and local debates on food production and agriculture since the late 20th century. The notion of a peri-urban ‘agrarian space’ surfaces in numerous documents and plans, representing a distinct, tangible unit of production and landscape that can be preserved, planned, developed, and managed—a unit with its own socioeconomic, environmental, and territorial qualities. This paper aims to share insights from examining the food planning panorama in Barcelona’s metropolitan area, focusing on specific agrarian spaces. It further hypotheses on the role of these spaces within the socio-ecological transitions and as key elements for strengthening local food systems. Moreover, it suggests their potential for enhancing urban biodiversity by adopting less detrimental agricultural methods, emphasizing an agroecological perspective.