11 gifts for a more sustainable Christmas

Christmas is coming and we are all racking our brains to find the most original gifts. From 11Onze we present 11 proposals that are committed to the sustainability of the planet and local industry.

We propose 11 gifts for the Christmas holidays. You will find them in all styles and prices, so we have ordered them from cheapest to most expensive. You have from board games to enjoy with the family to cultural proposals, a wine that leaves no one indifferent and a few options that will help reduce our carbon footprint.

Roll’Eat Boc’n’Roll Bike

One of the many designs of reusable, adjustable, foldable and washable sandwich wraps from the Catalan company Roll’Eat, which aims to put an end to throwaway packaging. Its products for carrying sandwiches, snacks, and lunch boxes are an eco-friendly alternative that allows you to say goodbye to disposable wrappers. 

Price: €10.95  |  Visit your web here

Moriarty

This Barcelona shop carefully selects its posters, such as this map of Barcelona in 1870, and prints them in high quality. It doesn’t have any posters by chance and enriches its catalogue every week with proposals that include photography, classic art, antique maps and plans, oriental painting, vintage advertising, botany, lithographs, and engravings.

Price: between €10 & €15  |  Visit your web here

Londji Home Sweet Home

An educational card game in which players have to solve simple calculation operations to build as many buildings as possible. In turn, each player takes a card and places it in one of the buildings or exchanges it with another player. Calculations must be made to assess the best place to place the card. Londji, which has offices in Barcelona and a factory in Pla de l’Estany (near Barcelona), is committed to zero-kilometre toys. You can find many of them on their website.

Price: €19.90  |  Visit your web here

QTshine

This portable solar charger has a capacity of 26,800 mAh and allows you to charge two devices simultaneously. It is compatible with a wide range of electronic devices with a USB port, such as iPhone, iPad, android phone, tablet and camera. Ideal if you spend a lot of time away from home or like to get lost in the mountains.

Price: €25.13  |  Visit your web here

Articket BCN

This passport gives access to the permanent and temporary exhibitions of six Barcelona art museums for 12 months for almost half the price they would cost separately. These are the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB), the MACBA, the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, the Fundació Antoni Tàpies, the Fundació Joan Miró and the Museu Picasso.

Price: €38  |  Visit your web here

Cabrida Crianza 2020

This is a red wine from the D.O. Montsant made from Grenache grapes. This wine from Capçanes Cellars (near Tarragona) has won numerous awards, including the best Catalan wine at the Vinari 2022 Awards. It is characterised by its ruby red colour and a wide range of red fruits, strawberries, and cherries on the palate.

Price: €37.75  |  Visit your web here

Apis, the bees of game

This is a cooperative board game where all the participants work together to save the bees. The aim is to build a beehive with 36 wooden cells that are obtained by answering questions. The game makes you think about the effects of a world without these insects, which are essential for the ecosystem due to their pollinating function. In recent years their numbers have been dramatically reduced, among other causes, due to the use of agricultural pesticides.

Price: €49.95  |  Visit your web here

Hozelock Bokashi

This 16 litre composter bin is designed to break down all types of organic waste: vegetables, meat, fish, dairy products and even cooked food. It provides a good fertiliser for your plants in just 15–20 days. Supplied with 1 kg of Bokashi activator that accelerates the decomposition process, preventing rotting and the formation of unpleasant odours. You can find it in large supermarkets and specialised shops.

Price: €88.99  |  Visit your web here

The Vienna Philharmonic

For anyone who knows how gold reacts in adverse economic cycles, it is obvious that it is much better to give gold as a gift than notes of a fiat currency such as the euro, which has been punished by depreciation and inflation. The Vienna Philharmonic coin, of Austrian origin, is one of the most attractive to gold investors.

Price: €225  |  Visit your web here

Airtècnics Wellisair

This device from Airtècnics, based in Castellar del Vallès, purifies the air and surfaces of pollutants using nature’s own cleaning methods. Its technology inhibits up to 99.9% of existing viruses, bacteria, allergens, mould, odours and volatile organic compounds, according to studies carried out in universities and independent laboratories.

Price: €445  |  Visit your web here

Rayvolt eXXite XXS

This folding electric bike from Barcelona-based Rayvolt is perfect for sustainable everyday mobility. It is the model with 20″ wheels, although there is also the XXS model with 16″ wheels. The removable battery saddle provides an extra point of safety for urban environments, as it is easy to take it with you when you leave the XXS parked outside the house.

Price: from €1.800 |  Visit your web here

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Abans de sortir de viatge molts ens preguntem si és hem de portar diners en efectiu o fer servir les targetes. I si viatgem a un país que no té l’euro com a moneda oficial, ens sorgeix el dubte de quina és l’opció més adient per obtenir el millor tipus de canvi. Sara Casals, cap de producte júnior d’11Onze, respon a aquestes preguntes.

El costum i la facilitat de pagar amb targeta o directament des del mòbil formen part del nostre dia a dia gràcies a la revolució digital dels últims anys. Tanmateix, no tots els països segueixen el mateix ritme de desenvolupament que el nostre sistema financer, i ens podem trobar que el país al que viatgem no tingui una xarxa estesa de caixers automàtics, o les mateixes facilitats per pagar amb targeta a tots els establiments comercials.

Com apunta Sara Casals, “cal tenir en compte que en molts països, el pagament amb targeta no està tan estès, i no trobarem un caixer a cada cantonada”. Per altra banda, també hi ha un tema de seguretat, “la pràctica del robatori de dades de targetes bancàries està molt estès segons el país”, afirma Casals.

Abans de fer un canvi de moneda, has de tenir en compte que no és el mateix fer el canvi traient diners del teu banc que en un caixer en el país de destinació, o canviar divises en l’aeroport. Com explica Casals, “el tipus de canvi que ens ofereixen els nostres bancs és extremadament abusiu, i el mateix passa si canviem a les cases de canvi de l’aeroport de sortida”.

Per tant, el més recomanable és canviar els diners al país de destí. Però, on els canvio? La cap de producte recomana “evitar les cases de canvi de l’aeroport” i buscar establiments que ofereixin un tipus de canvi més favorable i amb menys comissions. Tanmateix, ens avisa que algunes cases de canvi anuncien que no tenen comissions, però després ens ofereixen un tipus de canvi menys favorable.

11Onze és la fintech comunitària de Catalunya. Obre un compte descarregant la super app El Canut per Android o iOS. Uneix-te a la revolució!

N’hi ha centenars, i a 11Onze n’hem seleccionat prop d’una quinzena. Però hem intentat que representin tot el ventall d’interessos dels més joves. Sobre moda, sobre llengua, sobre esports, sobre feminismes, sobre noves formes de divertir-se o sobre cultura. De tot això i més parlen aquestes ‘influencers’ catalanes. 

Des de la pionera a fer negoci amb Instagram, la famosa Dulceida, fins a Paula Gonu o la Carol Peña “Misshedwig” passant per Lola Vendetta o Patry Jordan. Gran part de les instagramers més nostrades tenen una trajectòria fulgurant en el món de la comunicació, el periodisme o la publicitat. Instagram és la xarxa social que els dona fama i que els serveix de suport per als els seus altres canals propis. Però no totes s’atreveixen a difondre les seves aventures només en català. Com es comprometen les ‘influencers’ amb la llengua sense renunciar a un mercat més ampli? En fem un repàs, de més a menys seguidors!

1. Laura Escanes, una vida on emmirallar-se. La periodista Laura Escanes té una d’aquelles vides perfectes on t’hi quedaries per sempre. La jove ensenya els seus viatges en hotels de luxe. Balls, moda, maternitat i vida sana, a més de fer seguiment de grans marques i esdeveniments. Tanmateix, quan ha publicat en català, les amenaces i els insults no s’han fet esperar! Per això, Escanes ha hagut de reivindicar en diverses ocasions el català, que fa servir quan i com vol.
2. Juliana Canet, influencer d’influencers. Sens dubte cal esmentar-la, perquè ha estat des de l’inici una de les promotores de l’Instagram i el streaming en català. Sense ella, molts joves de la Generació Z se sentirien orfes a les xarxes socials. Amb Clàudia Rius, Arnau Rius i Bru Esteve va impulsar el Canal Malaia, on han promogut altres joves a fer continguts en català. Juliana Canet n’és tota una referent.
3. Zinteta, dibuixos a la diversitat. Aquesta jove de Torrelles de Llobregat, que s’ha criat entre camps, horts i una casa familiar, ensenya les seves virtuts en el món de les Belles Arts i polititza el seu malestar amb il·lustracions que exploren la vulnerabilitat dels cossos. Ha fet un art de la necessitat de reivindicar-se des de la perifèria.
4. Marta Mas, una creadora especial. El cas de @martacorne és una mica especial. Molts la coneixen pel seu perfil @leentrelineas, on difon les seves fotografies amb publicacions en castellà. Tanmateix, al seu compte més personal, on hi té més de 17.000 seguidors, prefereix difondre les seves peripècies en català. Ella considera que, d’aquesta manera, ajuda a difondre i promoure la cultura catalana arreu del món, sobretot a Sudamèrica, on hi té molts seguidors. 
5. Queralt Guinart, una ‘bollera’ a Bunyol TV. Queralt Guinart, com Zinteta, ha fet bandera de la perifèria rural i també ha trobat a l’Instagram l’espai idoni per a la seva lluita per la visibilitat lèsbica. A més, ha engegat el canal ‘Bunyol TV’, una tele que ella defineix com a “radicalment descentralista, improvisada i bollera”. 
6. Laia Argelaguet, l’‘it girl’ catalana. Laia Argelaguet, com Mariona Batalla (@linoleum_), Natàlia Moller, Ofèlia Carbonell o Laura Grau s’han fet un nom gràcies a Canal Malaia i s’han convertit en les nostres ‘it girl’ catalanes. Ens ensenyen a viure sense pors la feminitat i la sexualitat.
7. La Queency, rapera i compromesa. Amb aquesta rapera catalana, Francina Gorina, més coneguda pel seu mal nom, “La Queency”, no només coneixeràs un munt de grups i cantants de música urbana en català, sinó que a més pots estar al dia de les lluites socials que impulsa el jovent català. Aquesta sociòloga de formació, que va fundar el segell discogràfic independent El Pecado, es va donar a conèixer amb la cançó “Urkinaona”, i des d’aleshores no li han deixat de créixer els seguidors.
8. Daily Catalan, la cultura catalana a les xarxes. A la Júlia li agrada la llengua, la cultura i la gastronomia catalanes. Si tens algun dubte lingüístic, te’l resol. Si vols saber d’on venen les dites populars, te n’explica l’origen. Si vols saber com traduir alguna expressió o com enredar els teus amics anglesos, te’n dona moltes pistes! Daily Catalan internacionalitza Catalunya amb molt d’humor.

11Onze és la fintech comunitària de Catalunya. Obre un compte descarregant la super app El Canut per Android o iOS. Uneix-te a la revolució!

S’acosten les festes de Nadal i una de les tradicions més arrelades és la de regalar paneres, cistelles i lots nadalencs a familiars, amics i treballadors. A 11Onze us convidem que innoveu i recollim algunes propostes que se surten una mica de la norma.

Apostar per una producció sostenible i de proximitat ja no és novetat, i tant comerciants com consumidors han col·laborat a crear un mercat de productes de quilòmetre zero a l’abast de tothom. Amb els lots de Nadal ha passat una mica el mateix: avui dia, trobem una oferta molt gran de negocis que ofereixen productes arrelats a la terra i que celebren la cultura gastronòmica del nostre territori. 

El Detallista i Harcogourmet són dos exemples de com combinar productes de la terra amb tots els gustos. A més, les seves propostes s’adapten a totes les butxaques. Alhora, aquestes dues empreses, i tantes altres, satisfan la demanda d’una proposta original de lot nadalenc, una opció cada vegada més popular. Així, per exemple, preparen lots de productes vegetarians o vegans, que combinen proximitat amb sostenibilitat, i que alleugereixen els grans tiberis d’aquestes festes, molt apetitosos, però no sempre saludables.

El Nadal més dolç

A qui no li agrada la xocolata? Les combinacions són infinites. Nadal sempre s’acompanya d’un seguit de llaminadures típiques que ens porten records d’infantesa, i que són el delit de tots, canalla i adults. Per això, proposem una indulgència sense excuses ni vergonya: una panera plena de catànies de tots colors, torrons i neules amb xocolata o sense, ametlles garapinyades, farcides o confitades. I no ens podem deixar les trufes, les llengües de gat o els encenalls de xocolata, i els bombons.

Una bona selecció de xocolates i bombons per satisfer qualsevol paladar la tenim assegurada a la web d’Amatller, on també trobarem les botigues que ens queden més a prop. A Cudié també hi ha combinacions de catànies que ni t’havies imaginat que existeixen.

Fes-t’ho tu mateix

Tot i que existeixen infinitat de botigues físiques i en línia que ofereixen diferents lots de Nadal, sovint ens trobem que no és fàcil trobar combinacions de productes que s’adaptin a les nostres necessitats o als gustos de les persones a les quals va dirigit el regal.

Sí, és veritat que hi ha empreses que es dediquen a fer lots de Nadal i que, fins i tot, ofereixen total llibertat a l’hora de triar quins dels seus articles vols posar a la teva panera o caixa, però l’oferta de productes és, necessàriament, força limitada. Per sort, això té fàcil solució! Sempre tenim la possibilitat fer un lot o panera al nostre gust. Alguns supermercats, com Bonpreu, fins i tot venen caixes buides de lots de Nadal perquè les omplis amb els productes que tu triïs. Així, podem crear un lot a mida, i combinar diferents productes, no només d’un supermercat, sinó de diferents botigues i sense limitacions. A què esperes per innovar?

11Onze és la fintech comunitària de Catalunya. Obre un compte descarregant la super app El Canut per Android o iOS. Uneix-te a la revolució!

Since its first issue in 1989, this Austrian gold coin has become Europe’s best-selling investment coin and one of the most appreciated worldwide. We explain what makes it so popular.

The most appreciated gold coin in Europe comes from Vienna, specifically from the Austrian Mint (Münze Österreich), founded in 1194. The Vienna Philharmonic gold coin was first released in 1989, initially only in 1-ounce and 1/25-ounce examples, but due to its popularity, 1/10-ounce and 1/50-ounce coins were later minted.

Building on the success of other collector coins that paid homage to the cultures of the nations in which they were minted, the Münze Österreich decided to create a series of coins featuring the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the most famous orchestras, which every 1 January brings classical music lovers to their television sets to enjoy the most anticipated concert of the New Year.

Since its launch, it quickly established itself as one of the most popular investment coins among collectors, not only in Europe but all over the world. Since then, a new edition has been released every year with the same design created by Thomas Pesendorfer, the now-retired chief designer of the Austrian Mint, which is so popular with collectors and investors. According to the World Gold Council, it was the world’s best-selling gold coin in 1992, 1995, 1996 and 2000.

A quality and detailed design

The obverse of the coin is engraved with a selection of classical musical instruments of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, such as the bassoon, harp and four violins surrounding a cello, topped with the legend “Wiener Philharmoniker” in the form of a bow.

On the reverse is the recognisable pipe organ of the Golden Hall, above which the words ‘Republik Österreich’ can be read in a semicircle at the bottom, while under the organ balustrade, the weight, purity and year of issue are specified.

As with any other gold coin or investment coin, its value is based mainly on its precious metal content, but also, in part, on its numismatic value. In the case of the Philharmonic, it is one of the purest and most prestigious coins, given that it is minted with 999.9 gold, using a process with very strict quality control procedures.

These peculiarities have turned the Vienna Philharmonic gold coin into one of the most popular gold investment coins in Europe, and one of the best-selling in the rest of the world. Undoubtedly, an ideal choice for investors and collectors, which is now available at Preciosos 11Onze.

At 11Onze we have given you ideas on how to avoid impulse buying, how to give gifts of solidarity, how to innovate with company gifts and how to give a boost to local producers, but we have not yet given you tips on how to organise your shopping without falling into excessive consumerism. Here are ten ideas.

The most important thing this Christmas season is not to get carried away by excess. If you don’t want to lose your head in this consumerist maelstrom, planning is the key. In addition, good organisation will prevent you from feeling anxious about not being able to keep up with the long-distance race that is Christmas. Here are some tips on how to manage your shopping and avoid overspending.

1. Make a list. The first and most important thing is to make a list so that you know exactly who you have to give gifts to. At this point, it is essential to negotiate a little in advance and with a lot of empathy with family and friends: is it necessary to give gifts to everyone? Should they be limited to just the children? Who wants to participate in this year’s Secret Santa?

2. Prepare a budget. Once we are clear about our list, set a minimum and maximum budget that we can spend this festive season. In this budget, you should include not only the cost of gifts, but also the cost of lunches and dinners and Christmas decorations.

3. Limit spending for each person. With a detailed budget, a smart strategy is to set a spending amount for each person. That grandparents deserve to spend more than on Secret Santa is a no-brainer, but setting an amount can help us to stay on track.

4. Be clear about everyone’s wishes. Now that we have our budget down to the millimetre, it is time to sound out the wishes of those we are going to give gifts to. Discreetly ask around, note down everyone’s tastes and hobbies and imagine what each person might be looking forward to. In this case, it is also important to think about innovation and, for this reason, it is a good idea to consider alternative gifts, solidarity or proximity gifts.

5. Compare before you buy. The Consumers and Users Organisation advises that, before buying, we should always compare several shops. Sometimes, especially during the Christmas holidays, some products are sold with discounts, but in the end the promotion is not as advantageous as we thought.

6. Buy online, but with confidence. Christmas is a good time to save time and effort in physical shops and opt for online shopping, and with the virtual 11Onze Card we make it easy for you! Even so, always do it in trusted shops, because if you don’t, you could be left with your nose to the grindstone just before Christmas.

7. Don’t rule out the outlets. If you want to save a bit more, but you don’t want to give up quality, maybe you can check if your favourite shop has an outlet franchise where you can get a piece of clothing or an accessory with a little discount because it’s not strictly seasonal. In the outlets you can find good bargains!

8. Don’t leave everything to the last minute. As we have warned at La Plaça, this year, with the supply crisis due to the pandemic, it is more important than ever to get a head start on Christmas shopping and not leave everything to the last minute. There is also a psychological component to the tranquillity of shopping without haste.

9. Wrap sustainably. As you buy gifts, wrap them. That way, in the early hours of Christmas or Epiphany, you won’t have to be alone making packages by candlelight. You can also use sustainable materials, such as brown paper, string or spruce or holly branches. And remember to put the person’s name on the label.

10. Enjoy at your own pace. And finally, even if at times you feel like a fairy-tale miser, don’t forget to enjoy yourself. If you have the time, you can even do the exercise of putting into words how you feel about that person and handing over the gift with a letter. Buying gifts for someone you love is a nice way to say thank you for the love, companionship and support of family and friends.

11Onze is the community fintech of Catalonia. Open an account by downloading the super app El Canut for Android or iOS and join the revolution!

How does machism manifest itself in the socio-economic world and in the consumerism of our society? Are we sufficiently aware of the micro machismo that we encounter in our day-to-day lives? What do women have to do to join and fully develop in the labour market? In a new episode of La Plaça de Territori 17, Lara de Castro, from the 11Onze Human Resources team, and Gemma Vallet, director of 11Onze District, answer all these questions.

Fortunately, ideas, attitudes and practices based on a learned cultural attribution of male superiority are becoming less and less present in our society. However, there is still a long way to go to eliminate sexist attitudes and micro machismo from everyday life. Looking at a man if you buy a car, or at a woman, if you buy a hoover, are behavioural practices that we have come to accept, but which are becoming increasingly unwelcome in a society that continues to evolve towards gender equality in all socio-cultural spheres.

As de Castro points out, “all of this is so commonplace, so normal, even for women, that until all of this is nipped in the bud, we will not be able to move forward“. Even so, there must also be a change of attitude on the part of women, “we will become more accepting of our bodies, our age, our wrinkles and the fact that we are women. That we are also capable of managing certain things that until now have only been managed by men”.

Gender pay gap, an unresolved issue

According to a report issued by CCOO, the gender pay gap has been reduced, but the average salary of women would have to grow by 24% to be equal to that of men. As Lara de Castro explains, “The pay gap is huge. But it is all about confidence, not only the confidence that the world gives me when it comes to earning money but also the confidence that I have when it comes to creating this money” she continues, “when I earn the money, it empowers me and makes me change my mentality”.

Advertising marketing has not facilitated this empowerment of women, on the contrary, it has helped to reinforce the macho attitude of society, even so, as Gemma Vallet points out, “advertising, in the end, is a mirror of society. And it is a mirror that amplifies. But as we adopt new behaviours, advertising will have to reflect these new behaviours”.

11Onze is the community fintech of Catalonia. Open an account by downloading the super app El Canut for Android or iOS and join the revolution!

Want to discover interesting content on Twitch? We recommend 11 channels in Catalan that you can find on the trendy social network. They have gained popularity by talking to us about all kinds of topics, not just video games.

Twitch is an increasingly relevant social network in the world, and Catalonia is no exception. The spontaneity of live-streaming attracts a growing number of followers. Although video game channels are generally the ones with the largest audiences, there is room for a wide range of content. From 11Onze, we present 11 proposals to enjoy this social network in Catalan.

LopezNorman44

Norman López is one of the most popular streamers in Catalan, with nearly 10,000 followers. He produces video game content in general, although he focuses mainly on racing simulators. He likes humour and doesn’t shy away from controversy, as he declares himself a fan of Spanish omelette without onions and says he prefers winter to summer.

LauzetaFolk

After a period of inactivity on Twitch, LauzetaFolk have returned with their violin and guitar to offer folk music and good vibes from Lleida to their 7,500 followers. Joan and Núria, a couple of musicians who have been playing together since 2010, joined this social network in March 2020.

Magori_cat

Almost 2,000 people follow this paid channel, which focuses mainly on manga, anime and ‘Dragon Ball’. In his live shows, MagoriArt usually draws while he chats with his guests. La noche friki’ features Catalan dubbing actors. For example, Victòria Pagès, who had played the character of Nets in Club Super 3, recently took part.

JacintCasademont

Jacint Casademont’s channel offers podcasts, talk shows and interviews, with sections such as ‘Terrors nocturns’ to discuss scary topics and ‘Enigmes pendents’ to talk about crimes. It already has 1,400 followers.

EdCaballer

Cooking channel where the idea is to have a good time while Ed Caballer prepares food and talks about everything: series, games, current affairs, politics… Cooking is the way for its nearly 1,000 followers to have a good time and learn to defend themselves in front of the cooker. Enjoy!

El_raco_del_manga

A Catalan channel about manga, anime and Japanese culture with a stream almost every week. You’ll find talks, interviews, analyses, specials, raffles… More than 900 people already follow it.

xEikNaga

The channel of xEikNaga and his friends, which already has more than 700 followers, appeals to the most creative spirits. Models, crafts and various creations for those who like to do it all themselves. There’s a live model-making event on the weekend mornings.

JaumeFibla

Almost every day, Jaume Fibla, better known as Jau on Twitch, offers “musical numbers with a geeky touch”, as he himself acknowledges, and interviews. His channel includes everything from very free interpretations of songs translated into Catalan to commentaries on culture, cinema and video games. He already has almost 700 followers.

EnricBautista

Enric Bautista, who lives in England, escapes from Brexit by playing his acoustic guitar and singing in Catalan. And, from time to time, interviewing a guest. You can enjoy his music and commentaries every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday night. He already has more than 600 followers.

GranCarles

From Monday to Friday, this actor, journalist and scriptwriter wakes up his nearly 500 followers every morning at 8am with the programme ‘Quiquiriquic’. Carles interacts with the audience openly.

Motor_Esport

The latest news from the world of rallying analysed in Catalan by Nacho Mateo, Eduard Bota, Aitor Domingo, David Rovira and their collaborators. The channel doesn’t slack off and already has more than 400 followers.

Do you know any Twitch channel in Catalan that we shouldn’t miss? Add it in the comments.

11Onze is the community fintech of Catalonia. Open an account by downloading the super app El Canut for Android or iOS and join the revolution!

The planning and execution of an electoral campaign entail a significant expense that is an extraordinary economic burden for a political party. What does it cost? Where does the money come from? Gemma Vallet, director of 11Onze District, explains in a new episode of La Plaça.

The funding of an election campaign is a fundamental aspect of democracy, as it directly affects freedom and equality of competition between political parties. In Catalonia, as elsewhere, several questions have been debated about which funding model is the most appropriate regarding transparency, fairness and current regulation.

The basis for establishing a budget for an election campaign is similar to those we would use to draw up a budget for any business or social project. In the same way that funding can come from savings, grants, contributions or borrowing. For example, according to the electoral law, “parties are entitled to free advertising space, both on radio and television stations and outdoor advertising,” explains Vallet.

Electoral subsidies

The state establishes, by law, various subsidies to political parties for expenses arising from electoral activities. These subsidies depend to a large extent on the results obtained in the previous elections, around 270 euros per councillor. This is a challenge for new parties, as the director of 11Onze District points out, “if you are a new party, this money does not reach you, so you have an added difficulty”.

At the same time, the state also subsidises the electoral costs of sending electoral propaganda, envelopes and ballot papers to voters. Subsidies that, as Vallet says, “are also established based on the number of votes and councillors obtained in the previous elections”.

Unlike models dependent on private funding, as in the United States, in principle, this formula allows them to maintain the most significant independence from the economic powers. According to Vallet, in a model based on private funding, “the parties that win are an extension of the big corporations”.

11Onze is the community fintech of Catalonia. Open an account by downloading the super app El Canut for Android or iOS and join the revolution!

Climate change, the war in Ukraine and the logistical funnel caused by the pandemic have reopened the debate on a possible global food crisis and the importance of rethinking the production model for essential crops in order to guarantee our food sovereignty.

Food sovereignty refers to the ability of a country or region to determine its own agricultural and food policies and to produce the basic foodstuffs to meet the needs of the local population as a whole. Not having food sovereignty means being dependent on food imports and not having sufficient control over one’s own food production.

This dependence on food imports increases a country’s vulnerability to international market fluctuations and food price increases caused by geopolitical conflicts or climate change. In addition, the focus on large-scale crop production for export has resulted in even more dependency and loss of food sovereignty for many countries, despite lowering the final price of the product at the expense of increasing the carbon footprint.

Securing supply chains

The collateral effects of droughts in North Africa, frosts in Central Asia, floods in Pakistan and war in Ukraine are just some of the causes for the alarming shortages of staple food supplies that are already affecting a large part of the world’s population.

According to the latest report by the United Nations, almost 3.1 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet rich in basic nutrients. And we are not only talking about developing countries, inflation in Europe has severely affected people’s purchasing power, pushing up food basket prices, while logistical problems are forcing many countries to take emergency measures to ensure the availability of certain basic foodstuffs.

Without going any further, February’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) shows that food in Catalonia is 14.5% more expensive than a year ago, with vegetables and pulses rising by more than 18% since January. These record price rises have had a direct effect on the cost of more than 200 food products.

In addition, our territory is suffering the most severe drought since 2008, when water reserves in reservoirs and internal basins fell by up to 20%. Drought has affected the cereal harvest throughout Spain and France. The Port of Tarragona has an almost total occupation of its quays, half of them loaded with agri-food products imported from other countries to make up for this shortage of cereals.

Low food self-sufficiency

Much agricultural land has been lost in Catalonia since the 1950s. Today, just over 25% of the Catalan territory is devoted to agricultural crops, half the European average, and 70% of the agricultural surface area is rain-fed. This means that Catalonia only achieves a degree of food sovereignty of between 40% and 45%.

Agriculture only contributes 1,622 million euros to Catalonia’s GDP (2022), making it the economic sector with the least impact on GDP, and a far cry from the 187,185 million euros generated by the services sector. Even so, it is still a strategic sector for society as a whole, and purely because it provides the raw material for the main foodstuffs, it is one of the main sectors that must be maintained and developed.

The question, however, is what price we are prepared to pay to maintain this strategic sector for our society. Agricultural activity in Catalonia has declined progressively over the last few years, and the Unió de Pagesos frequently warns that if they cannot compete with the prices of the distributors, many of them will not be able to make a living and will have to stop their activity.

A change of mentality

Driving change towards a new food system that practices rational resource management is not only necessary, but it is also essential to move towards the sustainability of our society as we face the climatic and geopolitical challenges in which we are immersed. However, this comes at a cost and involves social, cultural and environmental trade-offs that society will have to consider.

Crops have to adapt to the water available, contrary to what has been done until now, especially when we take into account that the average temperature in Catalonia is expected to rise by 2 to 3 degrees over the next twenty years, reducing the availability of water by 20%. For example, instead of producing maize for export or for feeding pigs, we could grow vegetables that we now import from other regions, a change which would contribute to food sovereignty.

On the other hand, it is necessary to democratise the means of production and land. Reclaim agricultural land for local family farms, 50% of which have had to be abandoned in the last 15 years, to the extent that 55% of agricultural land is in the hands of only five families. Controlling food prices or subsidising production costs in a timely manner can help to ensure that people can make a living from what they produce.

At present, the limitations of the territory and the agri-food model certainly do not allow for food sovereignty in Catalonia, but working towards greater self-sufficiency is possible if there is a long-term political vision and if society is willing to assume the cost of this paradigm shift.

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