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Custòdia Agrària, GOB Menorca’s land stewardship programme continues to grow. This May, it welcomes a new farm: So Na Parets Vives, an organic livestock project focused on artisanal goat cheese production and the regenerative management of the land.
The farm is located in the municipality of Ciutadella and covers an area of approximately 30 hectares. Its main productive model is organic goat farming with Murciano-Granadina breed goats (although there are also pigs and cows).
The farm is dedicated to the artisanal production of goat cheese, which is marketed under the brand Gaia — a name that is a declaration of principles in itself. Both the farm and the livestock are organically certified. In addition to livestock farming, there is also a vegetable garden and fruit trees for family self-consumption.
Maria José and José, who are responsible for the farm, explain that joining the programme fits with their way of understanding farming: a small-scale holding, managed directly by the owning couple and based on organic criteria, animal welfare and the productive recovery of land that had previously been degraded or underused.
Although the vegetable garden once reached a significant level of production for their own and family consumption, they now focus on managing this type of rustic livestock, as combining both activities is complicated: “There are only two things goats don not eat: what they do not see and what they cannot reach!”
A recovered farm
The property was acquired in 2008 as a family investment. At that time, the houses and facilities were abandoned and much of the land was degraded or without regular productive activity. For years, the land was used only for occasional cattle grazing; it was not sown and there was no active agricultural management. This situation, however, later benefited soil quality: when the organic project began, soil analyses revealed very positive results.
Livestock management and regenerative grazing
The current project is based on a system of rotational and regenerative grazing with goats. The animals are regularly moved between different plots to encourage natural vegetation regeneration and seed dispersal, with the help of herding dogs, mobile fencing and daily herd monitoring, aiming to avoid overgrazing and maintain permanent plant cover.
A key concern at So Na Parets Vives is animal welfare. The herd has plenty of space and priority is given to animals living mostly outdoors.
Those responsible for livestock management explain that the agricultural project represents a calmer way of life, closely linked to the land. José has always maintained a close relationship with animals and the rural world, although before developing the farm he worked in very different fields unrelated to farming.
The philosophy behind the project
The project is still evolving, with ongoing adaptations to infrastructure, fencing and grazing systems to improve farm operations. Its promoters stress that they are not seeking an intensive model or constant growth, but rather a sustainable, manageable farm consistent with their worldview.
For this reason, they defend small-scale, organic farming that respects the land and focuses on responsible landscape management — values that are fully aligned with those of GOB Menorca’s land stewardship programme.
Custòdia Agrària, a growing network
GOB Menorca’s land stewardship agreements are mutual support pacts between GOB and farmers, based on a shared vision of the future of agriculture: a resilient and sustainable model that recognises the work of farmers committed to caring for the environment and the landscape, and provides them with support.
Custòdia Agrària works to consolidate a growing network of farms committed to respectful, rooted and sustainable agriculture. If you would like to get to know the farmers, the farms that are part of the programme and their products, please consult our catalogue.