As part of the Convit/e Educativo project, students from Mescladís were invited by the Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona (@museuciencies) to visit the Botanical Garden and the Historic Botanical Garden of Montjuïc, a place steeped in history, biodiversity, and memories of the city.

This visit was part of the learning process that accompanies Convit/e, where knowledge is also built from direct experience with the territory, nature, and the people who care for it.

A garden steeped in history in the heart of Montjuïc

The Historic Botanical Garden is located on Montjuïc Mountain, an area that began to be transformed with the 1929 International Exposition, when the city launched a major urban development project that turned the mountain into one of Barcelona's largest urban parks.

Today, this space brings together nature, history, and knowledge, offering a privileged environment for understanding plant diversity and the role that ecosystems play in city life.

During the visit, the group toured different areas of the garden to observe the diversity of species that inhabit this environment and understand how each plant forms part of the natural balance of the ecosystem.

Throughout the tour, students were able to get up close to different plant species, learn about their origins and characteristics, and reflect on the importance of conserving the landscapes and farming methods that sustain biodiversity.

The seed bank: preserving the future

One of the most significant moments of the day was visiting the seed bank at the Botanical Garden.

This space is used to collect, catalog, and preserve seeds from different plant species, a fundamental task for protecting biodiversity and preserving our natural and agricultural heritage.

The role of the seed bank is key to:

• protect plant biodiversity
• preserve agricultural and natural heritage
• ensure that these species can be cultivated again in the future
• promote food sovereignty

This work allows us to conserve plant species that are part of our ecosystems and food systems, ensuring that they can continue to exist and be cultivated for future generations.

Seeds, land, and food sovereignty

The visit was also an opportunity to explore one of the values that runs through the work of Mescladís and the Convit/e project: food sovereignty.

When communities can save, exchange, and grow their own seeds, they also retain the ability to decide what they produce, how they produce it, and what foods are part of their culture.

Caring for seeds is, in essence, caring for the future of food.

Learning from experience

The day allowed students to observe, learn, and reflect on the relationship between biodiversity, culture, and food, understanding how caring for the land is part of the educational processes that accompany Mescladís' work.

Experiences like this reinforce the idea that learning does not only take place in the classroom, but also through contact with nature, the community, and the knowledge that inhabits the territory.

Convit/e

Convit/e is a cultural project promoted by Mescladís that combines art, reflection, and action to highlight, recognize, and spread interculturalism. Through its initiatives, it addresses migration from a human rights perspective, promoting equity, the value of diversity within organizations and communities, the social and solidarity economy, as well as actions that contribute to tackling climate change and promoting a more sustainable model of society.

This is the context in which Convit/e magazine was born, a biannual publication that brings together voices from the cultural, gastronomic, and academic spheres to generate dialogue and new perspectives on contemporary challenges. It is an editorial space that unites art, gastronomy, and critical reflection to foster cultural and social dialogue.

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Photographs by @cordegat