Agro-Food Supply Chains in Peri-Urban Agricultural Areas: Do They Contribute to Preserve Local Biodiversity? The Case of Baix Llobregat Agrarian Park.

Abstract

<p>Peri-urban regions, especially in the Mediterranean, face challenges like farmland loss due</p><p>to urban pressure. This study emphasizes retail stores as strategic focal points for evaluating</p><p>societal, economic, and production systems. It hypothesizes that analyzing retail stores in</p><p>agricultural areas provides insights into traded and cultivated agrobiodiversity. Using the Baix</p><p>Llobregat Agrarian Park (Catalonia, NE Iberian Peninsula) as a case study, this research examines</p><p>different food retailers from short and conventional food supply chains. Results indicate variations</p><p>in plant diversity, origin, and seasonality among different retail stores. Farmers’ markets exhibit</p><p>higher intraspecific diversity, contributing to local agrobiodiversity conservation. This study</p><p>observes temporal changes in farmers’ markets, highlighting shifts influenced by socioeconomic</p><p>factors and climate change perceptions. Finally, this research underscores certain strategies to</p><p>promote sustainable peri-urban local food systems and preserve agrobiodiversity, offering valuable</p><p>insights into food supply chain dynamics in peri-urban agricultural regions.</p>