Uztaola Elkartea, with the support of cooperatives Elkolab, Leartiker, and Biziola, has developed seven new products at the Goizane transformation center in Zaldibia. The aim is to assist primary sector producers in diversifying, extending the shelf life, and reducing the waste of their products. These products have undergone full sanitary validation and will be available for tasting at the Ordizia fair on October 7th.
Among these innovations are jam, apple and pumpkin chutney, pumpkin puree, pisto, tomato sauce, apple sweet, and apple compote. This project is part of the initiative to strengthen the primary sector and has been financed through the Food Mission of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, via the collaborative initiative Barnetik Elikatzen promoted by Goieki, Uggasa, Goimen, and Biziola.
Intza Barandiaran from Biziola highlighted that in the face of the current globalized food system, the primary sector is weakening, with fewer producers and a significant lack of generational renewal. Considering the effects of climate change and uncertainty, she deemed it «essential» to «build stronger and more sustainable food systems».
According to Barandiaran, producers «need conditions to carry out their work with dignity and economic viability», and she also emphasized the importance of consumers' role, as «with our purchases, we decide what type of production and market we are promoting».
To strengthen production, beyond having raw materials, producers need opportunities to add value to them. Transformation opens the way to preserve fruits, vegetables, and other raw materials and convert them into new products: «This extends the product's life, can help reduce waste, and, above all, creates opportunities to add value to production», Barandiaran specified.
Furthermore, since the food system is «the entire network from production to consumption», greater capacity can be developed if the network is local: «The stronger that network is locally, the greater capacity we will have to decide the future of our food».
However, there is a significant obstacle: the difficulty in making the necessary facilities and equipment available to everyone, as transformation facilities require substantial economic investment. «That is why collective transformation centers are necessary», which, in addition to sharing resources, are also «spaces for experimentation, knowledge sharing, and creating new collaborations».
In Goierri, through the transformation center in the Goizane building, a collective structure with a regional scope is being promoted, but it is directed towards farmers throughout Gipuzkoa. This strengthens the local food system and promotes the transformation and marketing of local producers' raw materials.
This also offers more opportunities to citizens: «The chances of accessing seasonal and local products increase, the food journey can be shortened, and we help create conditions to sustain the production in our area», explains Biziola. Being located in a rural municipality like Zaldibia makes the infrastructure's value even more significant for the entire region, «as it is a tool to promote economic and social activity in rural areas».
Producers must meet two conditions to use the center: be members of Uztaola and complete a food handling course. The proposal to participate in the new transformation lines has received «a very good response», and the next goal is to expand the use of the collective center to reach more farmers and transform more local raw materials.
“"Come and discover the journey made firsthand and the delicacies achieved. Eating local means supporting the primary sector. Supporting the primary sector means deciding the future of our food."
