Students of the School of Shepherds of Catalonia listen to the explanations of an experienced pastor.
Group of sheep in the mountain of Salau, in the Catalan Pyrenees.
Students of the School of Shepherds go through one month of theory classes and four months of practices in a real farm. Theory lessons are held in a rural home in Llagunes, in the Catalan Pyrenees.
Ariadna Cañadas (25 years old) left Barcelona city to try to learn the job of pastor in the School of Shepherds. Ariadna does her practices in the mountains of Salau (Catalan Pyrenees).
Eloy González (22 years old), from Mataró city, was a student of the School of Shepherd in 2010 Eloy did his period of practices in a farm in Escàs, Catalan Pyrenees.
Cows in a corral in Aguiró, Vall Fosca, Catalan Pyrenees.
The family of Josep (57 years old) is working in the livestock sector since centuries with a well-know brand: Cals Frares, in Aguiró, a village in La Vall Fosca. Nowadays, Josep accepts to train young students from the School of Shepherds, since he understands and share the high need of a renewal in the sector.
A farmer works with horseshoes.
Foggy morning in Manlleu, Plana de Vic.
Maria gets her livestock into the corral in a rainy day. Maria works with her husband Xevi and a friend in el Serradet de Barneres, a farm of sheeps in Manlleu.
Xevi Crosas (33) works with his son Nil in El Serradet de Barneres, a new farm in Manlleu, Plana de Vic. Xevi was student of the School of Shepherds in 2009, and now is ruling his own farm in a cooperative with a friend and his wife.
Pau Ramirez (19 years old), one of the students of the School of Shepherds.
Work inside a farm in Cals Frares, in Aguiró, Catalan Pyrenees.
Gloria Rodríguez, a young student from the School of Shepherds, during her practice period as a pastor in Cals Frares, in Aguiró (La Vall Fosca).
Workday in Cals Frares for Gloria Rodríguez, during her period of practices.
Night scene in Llesuí, Catalan Pyrenees.
Josep Font, 32 years old, inside his family home in Casa Perales, in Llesuí village.
Josep Font (32) and Anna Plana (28), are married and work together with a herd of 100 sheeps in Llesuí, a village in the Catalan Pyrenees. Anna was one of the girls studying in the first promotion of the School of Shepherds, and now she achieved to have her own livestock project. She worked as a hairdresser before.
Josep and Anna carrying a “gripia” (tool to serve food to the animals) to their corral through the snow. Josep has his own job during the week but helps his wife to do heavier pastor tasks in the weekends.
Sisco Baron (33 years old) was student of the School of Shepherds in 2010. Today he works in his own project with goats in an urban environment in Begues, closed to Barcelona city. Goats create security areas, preventing fires in the forests.
Rainy day at work for Sisco Baron. Sisco didn't want to move to a rural area, his aim was to be able to work as a sheperd in his own city, Begues (Baix Llobregat)
View of three villages in La Vall d’Àssua, in the Catalan Pyrenees.
Marc Alvarado (28 years old), did his practices a mountain shepherd in Baguergue (Vall d’Aran). Since then, Marc works each summer as a mountain shepherd in the French Pyrenees, taking care of groups of thousands of sheeps.
A group of sheeps in Salau mountains, in the Catalan Pyrenees.
Marc García (26), doing his practices of shepherd in the mountains of Salau. Marc received special training from a pastor specialized in dogs.
Edu Balsells (35 years old) was student of the first edition of the School of Shepherds. Today he has his own livestock with a young colleague.
Edu Balsells takes care of his livestock. Each winter, Edu is employed by the city hall of Sant Boi de Llobregat, in the outskirts of Barcelona, for sheeps cleaning the forests, in order to prevent fire.
Eloy González (26 years old), took the course of the School of Shepherds in 2010. In 2013, he started with his own herd of 80 goats. Eloy works in his hometown, closed to Barcelona.
Eloy, during his workday.
Eloy González, closing a working day at night. His dream when joining the School of Shepherds in 2010 was to work as a pastor near Mataró, an urban environment closed to Barcelona city. Eloy achieved to find a pastor job first, and get 80 goats to start his own project afterwards. His plans are to keep working with a reduced livestock, in a sustainable way.
Gloria Rodriguez, student of the School of Shepherds, closes the herd at night in Cals Frares, Aguiró.
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“The school give the opportunity to train young people, from predominantly urban environments, who want to learn the office of pastor. With over 60% of its students keep working on the livestock labor, the Sheperd’s School is part of a regeneration of Spanish rural landscape, which is already becoming a reality”. One of the main objectives of the initiative is to provide a generational renewal in the Catalan livestock sector. Most of them are young, around thirty, and attend the school by vocation. Students go through a month of theoretical training and four months of real farming practices.
