EU4Advice Visits the Horta-Cuina Cooperative

An article on sustainable local food systems featuring insights from Iván Guimerá, Manager of Horta-Cuina Cooperative

Located in Valencia, Horta-Cuina is a cooperative project that brings together local, organic farmers with a shared goal: to coordinate and promote sustainable agricultural production so that fresh, healthy food reaches school canteens across the city and its metropolitan area in the shortest possible time and with minimal environmental impact. By shortening the distance between producer and consumer, Horta-Cuina not only reduces food miles but also strengthens community ties and supports a more resilient local food system.

During the recent visit by the EU4Advice project, which aims to support advisory services for sustainable agriculture across Europe, Iván Guimerá, manager of Horta-Cuina, offered a thoughtful perspective on the realities of local farming today. He explained that one of the cooperative’s main objectives is to ensure that local organic farmers can find a stable, fair market for their produce, while contributing to a food supply model that prioritises freshness, proximity, and quality.

However, Guimerá pointed out that local agriculture in Valencia faces serious challenges, the most urgent being the lack of generational renewal. Many farmers are reaching retirement age without successors, and there is little motivation among younger generations to take up farming as a career. This situation threatens the continuity of agricultural knowledge and weakens the local food system. At the same time, farmers must adapt to new marketing models and consumption habits, where digital tools and modern logistics are becoming essential for competitiveness. The balance between maintaining traditional, sustainable production methods and responding to evolving consumer expectations is increasingly complex.

To overcome these difficulties, Guimerá emphasised the need for strong advisory and technical support. He believes that local producers would greatly benefit from guidance to help them adapt to changing legislation and new policy frameworks, which often evolve faster than small farms can keep up with. Moreover, he underlined the importance of digitalisation, noting that digital skills and access to digital platforms are key for the survival of local farms. Equally valuable, he said, are forms of collective organisation, such as cooperative marketing models, that allow farmers to share resources, strengthen their negotiating power, and build more resilient networks, much like Horta-Cuina itself has done.

In this context, Guimerá highlighted the significance of initiatives such as EU4Advice, which he described as an essential source of guidance, training, and solidarity for people working in local production and short supply chains. He explained that projects of this kind not only offer technical expertise but also provide a sense of companionship and support, helping advisors and producers feel less isolated in their efforts to promote sustainable practices.

The visit to Mercavalencia, where Horta-Cuina was explained, demonstrated how collaboration, innovation, and community values can successfully come together to strengthen local food systems. Through its cooperative structure and its commitment to connecting farmers directly with consumers and institutions, Horta-Cuina offers a tangible example of how sustainability can be achieved at the local level. It shows that with the right support, farmers can adapt to new challenges while preserving the identity and vitality of their land. In doing so, Horta-Cuina embodies the spirit of the EU4Advice initiative: fostering cooperation, knowledge exchange, and a shared vision for a more sustainable agricultural future.