RedaccionOswaldo Betancort: “This outstanding recognition highlights the value of our agricultural landscape, unique in the world, characterized by extreme drought conditions where the ingenuity and hard work of our farmers has been vital.”
During these days, the FAO Scientific Advisory Group is in Lanzarote to evaluate its candidacy and explore the island’s agrosystems such as La Geria, the sand-covered areas, and the farming in the Jable region.
Lanzarote could become the first island in Europe to be designated as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (SIPAM), a recognition granted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
In fact, members of the FAO Scientific Advisory Group are visiting Lanzarote this week to evaluate its candidacy as an inorganic mulching system in extreme arid conditions and to learn about the peculiarities of the different island agrosystems such as the cultivation in pits under a layer of rofe in La Geria, the sand-covered areas in the north, and the Jable cultivation under marine organic sand.
On Tuesday morning, the President of the Cabildo, Oswaldo Betancort, accompanied by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty of the Government of the Canary Islands, Alejandro Narvay Quintero, and the Island Councillor for Environment, Landscape, and Food Sovereignty, Samuel Martín, welcomed the members of the evaluation committee, led by Tiziano Tempesta, as well as the representative of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food of the Government of Spain, Ana Fraile Vasallo, Head of the International Cooperation Area of the Directorate-General for International Relations and Community Affairs.
Ingenuity of our farmers
The President, Oswaldo Betancort, who expressed great satisfaction and excitement about Lanzarote’s candidacy as SIPAM, explained that “this outstanding recognition highlights the value of our agricultural landscape, unique in the world, characterized by extreme drought conditions where the ingenuity and hard work of our farmers over the decades has been vital.”
For the President, the viticulture and heroic agriculture of our land are an example for the world, and he stated that “along with the candidacy as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System, an action plan for the sustainability of our agricultural system has been developed, including important measures such as the employment program Guardians of the Territory, the recovery of abandoned farms, subsidies for pit cultivation, irrigation support, a focus on generational renewal, as well as awareness and education campaigns.”
Furthermore, this plan also includes other specific measures such as the provision of seeds of local varieties, which are sown and stored in the living seed bank of the Agricultural Biodiversity Center of Lanzarote (CBAL) or the restoration of rainwater conservation structures, such as cisterns and maretas, among others.
The support of the Government of the Canary Islands for Lanzarote’s candidacy as SIPAM is also crucial, as emphasized by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty of the regional government, Alejandro Narvay Quintero, who detailed that “we are here today to provide institutional support for this candidacy, as recently done by the Council of Government, and to show our total commitment to continue keeping this territory and its agricultural diversity alive for future generations.”
On his part, the representative of the FAO Scientific Advisory Group, Tiziano Tempesta, stated that “the agrosystems of Lanzarote are unique in the world” and that, “despite being an island with extreme environmental conditions, where rainfall is scarce and trade winds prevail, its agricultural diversity is very important.” “It is astonishing,” Tempesta explained, “that, even with these conditions, there is a stable agriculture both professionally and within families, and that this stability depends entirely on knowing and protecting the mother earth under mulching techniques and materials such as lapilli or jable.”
Working meeting and field visits
After the official reception, an intense working meeting was held at the Cabildo with the drafting team of the candidacy proposal, as well as representatives from the seven municipalities of the island and technicians from the Biosphere Reserve and Geopark. Subsequently, the members of the FAO Scientific Advisory Group began their field visits to evaluate, on-site, the different types of cultivation, such as farms near the Volcano of La Corona, potato cultivation in Los Valles, sweet potatoes and potatoes in the Jable, or the protected landscape of La Geria.
After this final step, in the coming weeks, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will announce whether Lanzarote will be officially recognized as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System.
Spain, a leading country with 5 SIPAMs
So far, Spain is the leading European country with five SIPAMs, including the Agropastoral System of the Mountains of León, The Orchard of Valencia, and the ancient olive farming system of Territorio Senia. It is worth noting that this initiative, launched by the FAO in 2002, recognizes and supports traditional agricultural systems that combine biodiversity conservation, cultural heritage, resilient ecosystems, and sustainable livelihoods.
With 89 systems in 28 countries, SIPAM exemplifies the commitment of countries and communities to transform agricultural systems by integrating traditional knowledge with innovative practices to address global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and rural poverty.
VIDEOS WITH THE CULTIVATION SYSTEMS OF LANZAROTE:
Jable:
Sand-covered areas:
La Geria:
