Every day we ride past rice fields, olive groves, vegetable gardens and vineyards. We photograph them, tell our customers about them and enjoy them. But behind this landscape are people who get up every morning to work it, and we often forget that what we see is, first and foremost, their work.<\/p>\n
A few decades ago, almost every family in the villages of the Baix Empord\u00e0<\/strong> had some connection to farming. Today there are fewer farmers, farms are larger and machinery has replaced many hours of manual work. What hasn’t changed is the dependence on the weather: a hailstorm, a drought or a strong tramontana wind can decide a whole harvest.<\/p>\n Production costs rise year after year, while the price farmers get for many products doesn’t always keep up. Many combine farming with direct sales, agritourism or processing their own produce in order to carry on. And the next generation isn’t guaranteed: not every son or daughter wants, or is able, to take over.<\/p>\n Without farmers, the Empord\u00e0 that people come to discover wouldn’t exist. The rice fields of Pals<\/strong>, the centuries-old olive trees and the paths between the fields are a landscape because someone works them. That’s why at Nafent Bikes<\/strong> we want our routes to connect visitors with the people who make this land what it is, not just with the postcard.<\/p>\n On our food and wine routes<\/strong> we visit mills, wineries and local producers who tell us first-hand how they work. It’s a way of enjoying sustainable tourism in the Baix Empord\u00e0<\/strong>: riding slowly, eating what is made here and keeping the money in the local area.<\/p>\nWhat it takes to keep going<\/h2>\n
Why it matters to us<\/h2>\n
How to ride with respect for those who work the land<\/h2>\n
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Meet Empord\u00e0’s producers by bike<\/h2>\n