The Countryside That Defines the Balearic Islands

Behind the almond trees in blossom, the dry-stone walls, the terraces that outline the hillsides and the crops that dot the land with colour, the Balearic landscape tells the story of generations who have worked the land. But beyond its scenic or heritage value, the traditional farming landscape serves important ecological functions: it regulates water, prevents erosion, protects biodiversity and stores carbon. It’s a green infrastructure built from patience and rural hands.

This legacy is threatened by factors such as the loss of family farms, rural depopulation and pressure from urban development and tourism, which have seen the transformation of the rural landscape. Since the 1970s, more than 30% of Balearic farmland has disappeared or fallen into disuse. Today, protecting this landscape is not merely a cultural or sentimental issue, but also an environmental and strategic one. Traditional farming is, today more than ever, a tool for environmental protection.

In this respect, sustainable tourism tax (ITS) is being used to fund two projects that look to the past to protect the future. The first targets the recovery and maintenance of walls built using the dry-stone technique, which has structured the Mallorcan and Menorcan landscape for centuries. Beyond preventing the soil from shifting due to rainfall, these walls retain moisture, create microhabitats for insects, reptiles and birds, and allow crops to be grown on slopes. Since 2018, they have also been recognised by UNESCO as part of humanity’s intangible cultural heritage.

The second project aims to promote extensive rainfed arable crops—such as grains, legumes and fodder—on small farms. This practice not only ensures the availability of local seasonal products, but also keeps soils thriving, helps to recycle nutrients, and allows for a combination of crop cultivation and extensive livestock farming. This is all done without irrigation or chemical fertilisers, following traditional techniques adapted to the Mediterranean climate.

Local crops provide additional value: they are adapted to the environment, require fewer resources and are more resistant to pests and drought. Varieties such as blat xeixa, meló ermità or certain native legumes not only have more nutritional value or culinary appeal, they are also part of the gene pool that can ensure food security in situations of climate change.

Moreover, when we talk about the countryside, we’re also talking about work that often goes unnoticed, yet is essential for maintaining the landscape, biodiversity and culture of the region. These projects support farmers who keep farming alive for the benefit of all citizens. On the Balearic Islands, 75% of farms are less than 5 hectares in size, and many of them are in the hands of people who also carry out other activities, or who do it as a way of life rather than as a business. Without incentives and support, this model is doomed to disappear.

And with it, so would a landscape that is central to the islands’ image, tourism and biodiversity. Because the farmland is also a habitat for thousands of species, many of them endangered: bees, steppe birds, reptiles and wild flowers that rely on open fields, fallow land, stone walls and isolated trees.

Thanks to ITS funding, these projects help to sustain this network of life and expertise. It’s not just a matter of producing food or preserving ancient walls, but of investing in greater resilience: for ecosystems, for farming culture, and for a land that wants to remain habitable and balanced.