Boosting diversification of crops in traditional sustainable operations in the Balearic Islands

The project

The Balearic Islands is a region characterised by tourism and the services sector. Agriculture and livestock farming lost their prominence several decades ago, although they do still occupy much of the land on the islands. The abandonment of these activities, particularly on large farms, continues to be a problem, one that is leading inexorably to a loss of functionality of the rural space as it has been understood up to now.

High-quality brands, foreign promotion and the growth in consumers’ interest in local products seem to help to maintain certain stability. However, a new drive is needed in the agrarian sector to make its benefits to society visible beyond the production of foods. This refers to the positive external impact that is generated by certain models and specific agrarian systems, the value of which is not reflected in the price of the goods sold on the market.

However, this agrarian model would be incomplete without extensive livestock farming, which provides the necessary organic fertiliser to sustain polyculture farming, and which is also a forestry management tool. It would also be incomplete without the presence of bees and their immense task of pollination, and without beekeepers, who maximise this hidden benefit.

What this line of aid does seek to foster is the recognition of the role in the agrarian system played by small and medium farms on the four islands, using resources from the Sustainable Tourism Tax. The issue, then, is to foster environmental services that these farms provide free of charge, raising the dignity of those who work in agriculture and maintaining a model of sustainable farming.