Tag Archives: Land stewardship

A new farm incorporated into the Land Stewardship Scheme

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Parella Vella is the latest farm that has committed to the sustainable development of its agricultural and livestock activities respecting the natural environment to be incorporated into the network of farms within the Land Stewardship Scheme.

Located to the south of Ciutadella, the farm of about 12 hectares in area is managed by the brothers Dani and Isaac for a varied produce with ecological certification. Producing organic vegetables and fruit is the main activity but not the only one. It also has extensive cattle farming that includes 6 Menorcan cows. This allows for the rotation of the land and its fertilization, and being able to offer the resulting meat for sale. Seeding is done for the cattle to forage.

The countryside is at the mercy of the weather and Parella Vella was one of the estates affected by the heavy rains of August and September in 2022. During this period of storms nearly all the cultivated produce and various infrastructures, such as the greenhouses that allow time for some products to have a longer season, were lost.

After this disaster, it was necessary to reorganise and relaunch all the produce, which is not an easy task but important to maintain the activity. Being part of the Land Stewardship Scheme they gained support and encouragement for the recovery of the farm and establishing lines of work, such as, for example, enlarging areas of flowers favoured by pollinators so increasing the farm productivity.

The commercialisation of its produce is made by direct selling such as the weekly delivery of baskets to private buyers of produce made together with two other farms, or at the Ciutadella Farmers Market with another farm. Their products can be found in some shops or used by school canteens in Ciutadella.

The programme of the Land Stewardship Scheme contributes to the economic viability of agriculture and the conservation of the natural values of the Menorcan landscape. With the addition of Parella Vella to the network, there are now 37 professional farms committed to sustainable farming practices.

For an overview of the Land Stewardship Scheme, watch this short video. This others videos show in more detail the activities carried out as a result of the Scheme.

New alliances for a productive countryside

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GOB has signed an agreement with the Aland Foundation and the Association AIVelAL with the aim of giving support to the Land Stewardship Scheme and creating synergies with the action model of Landscape 4 Returns that is being promoted in various parts of the south east of the peninsula.

The three entities are agreed on the reading we make of the problems and the solutions we work on. We understand that both globally and locally we confront a grave problem of loss of soil fertility with its effects on agriculture. This situation feeds into other factors such as the need to adapt to climate change, the imperative to reduce greenhouse gases and to create a better coexistence with biodiversity.

The three entities also share a vision of agriculture as part of the solution. This means regenerative agriculture where the care of the soil is central, spaces for biodiversity are essential and where short chains of commercialization are promoted that revitalise the local economy.

The Land Stewardship Scheme will form part of the network of Landscape 4 Returns, an approach that seeks to restore agricultural management through four ways of action, or “returns” to use its terminology. The Natural Return that improves the soil, biodiversity and water management. The Economic Return that creates employment, professional networks and generates benefits. The Social Return that creates a better quality of life and welfare. The Inspiration Return that creates a reference community for other places with similar problems.

The Aland Foundation has been working since 2021 with the aim of catalysing initiatives for land regeneration through the model of Land 4 Returns. Their vision is of Iberian territory on which economy and ecology are aligned with regenerated countryside landscapes resilient to climate change. They want to promote a more energetic, active and professional world valued by an aware society and has the capacity to inspire others. The Foundation will help to find funding for the programme.

The AlVelAl Association was the first to become part of this network. Since 2015 it has been working in the regions of the Granada Plateau, Los Velez, Alto Almanzora, the north east of Murcia and Guadix all in the southeast of Spain. It is a local initiative that brings together agricultural and cattle farmers, entrepreneurs, researchers and people from different sectors of the population with the aim of restoring the country landscape of this area that is threatened by desertification, depopulation and lack of opportunities. The Association is committed to regenerative agriculture, the restoration of ecosystems and the creation of businesses that add value to local products and generate sustainable employment.

We at GOB celebrate the new collaboration that will improve aspects of advice, viability and knowledge of successful experiences in new farming networks. The Land Stewardship Scheme continues to enlarge its effectiveness and more and more producers and consumers are joining in.

To know more about the Land Stewardship Scheme we invite you to watch different videos that we have on our Youtube Channel

The Land Stewardship Scheme reaches Lebanon

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The Land Stewardship Scheme of Menorca generates interest in distant places. Recently there has been an exchange with Lebanon in an area that also has a declared Reserve of the Biosphere, which applies similar programmes with those of Menorca in order to invigorate agricultural management and environmental conservation.

Al-Shouf Cedar Society (ACS) is a non-profit organization that manages the land in the Reserve of the Biosphere of Shouf famous for its spectacular millennial cedars. The economic crisis and the conflicts surrounding the country led to land being abandoned, which now represents new opportunities.

Al-Shouf has a very interesting management of biomass from pruned branches and farm manure, which has involved different land agencies in the area, so waste becomes a resource. It also works to preserve its territorial mosaic providing functional and environmental values, as is the case with Menorca.

On a Lebanese initiative, a delegation came to Menorca last October to learn about our Land Stewardship Scheme at first hand to gain a better understanding of some of the strategies and activities that we carry out. Amongst other things, they were particularly interested in the monitoring of bio indicators on farms and the work carried out by volunteers.

Recently, a Menorcan delegation, with technicians from the Reserve of the Biosphere Agency and members of GOB visited Lebanon and it was possible to go to different conservation projects and see the recovery and beneficial exploitation of some of the areas. Explanations were given to the Lebanese on the alliance between farmers, owners and conservationists that is being promoted in Menorca.

The visit to Lebanon included an interview with the Spanish Ambassador who was very satisfied with the collaboration already established and offered his help in any way he could. The Deputy Chief of Mission attended the signing of an agreement for encouraging the sharing of successful experiences between the two places.

The Al-Shouf organisation and GOB are part of the Alliance for Nature and Mediterranean Culture that aims to work internationally in the search for solutions for providing healthy food, for the management of land sustainability and the recovery of biodiversity.

We hope that this new collaboration can bear fruit in joint projects and that, little by little, we can see the impact we make on each side of the Mediterranean.

Watch the video here commemorating the 45 years of GOB in Menorca.

Become part of GOB, 45 years later (video)

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Many people say they have always wanted to be a part of GOB, but they never find the right moment. Now is an ideal time . This is because we are celebrating 45 years of uninterrupted years of ecology, of an association that has not stopped growing and establishing itself socially. Continue reading Become part of GOB, 45 years later (video) →

21 fig tree enclosures are restored by the Land Stewardship Scheme

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It is noticeable, without paying much attention, that one of the icons of the Menorcan agricultural landscape has been losing its strength and vigor over the last few years. We are referring to the fig tree, this tree of dry land that with very little care was producing golden gifts in the middle of August.

The Land Stewardship Scheme has started a series of initiatives to encourage its restoration. The object is to contribute to the maintenance of the unique landscape that these trees create and, at the same time, diversify produce from those interested farms.

During the last year, through the agricultural days of volunteering, 21 fig tree enclosures have been restored.  Volunteer help on the farms has enabled the clearing out of wild olive bushes and brambles that invaded the enclosures, maintaining the dry stone wall structures, pruning fig trees that still had living branches and eliminating those that were completely dead and planting new ones.

Fig trees, amongst other dry wood trees, are planted in the middle of the countryside and dry stonewalls are built round them to protect them from the cattle. However, it is a characteristic to see the animals looking for some fallen figs around the enclosures.

As well as the restoration of some of the enclosures, 120 fig plants have been bought to distribute between the farms. The purchase has been diverse:  from the “paratjales” with their distinctive broken red fruit, to the sweetness of the white lady’s neck, through to the bold, first batch of the summer, of the “fig flower” and finishing with the bardissot variety.

The last few years have seen a decline in the figs of Menorca. certainly  the effect of climate change and lack of water, combined with no maintenance, are some of the factors that come into play in lowering the crop defences against disease.

Harvest figs again at the end of August to accompany an oliaigua or enjoy the smell of ripe figs. Look for the fresh green leaves in summer or enjoy the simple tastes from a bunch of figs picked in the early morning and eating them fresh from the night. We can retain some of those pleasures if we continue with the restoration of the emblematic fig trees in Menorca.

The agreement between GOB and the farms signed up to the Land Stewardship Scheme gives the farms the option to diversify their products and maintain distinctive landscape features such as the fig tree enclosures. That is only one of the many options that is gained from the mutual benefit between the farms and volunteers each year. Many thanks to all those who took part in the volunteering activities.

The activity has the economic support of the Menorca Island Council, the Menorca Preservation Fund and the MAVA Foundation.

We receive recognition for our contribution to the socioeconomic development of Menorca

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The Secretary of the Spanish Committee of the MAB Programme (Man and the Biosphere Programme launched by UNESCO in 1971), Jose Cantos, recently gave us a diploma awarded for GOB’s contribution to the Sustainable Socioeconomic Development of Menorca. It was recorded in the Reserve of the Biosphere Recognitions for Environmental Commitment granted by the Autonomous Agency of National Parks of the Ministry of Ecological Transition.

GOB has received this award “for its participation in multiple sustainable social and economic development projects, in which the Land Stewardship Scheme stands out”. The resolution highlights the large number of people associated with GOB (1,450 members), their participation in many conservation campaigns and in projects that focus on orienting the economy toward sustainability, as well as for the promotion of the Land Stewardship Scheme that includes 34 agricultural farms signed up to the agreement.

The selection of awards for environmental commitment in the Biosphere Reserves analysed 112 candidates and finally granted 17 distinctions. In the case of Menorca, under the heading of Promotion of Environmental Research and Education, the Institute of Menorcan Scientific Studies – OBSAM – was recognised as the driving force behind the declaration of the Reserve of the Biosphere in Menorca and for its scientific monitoring of sustainability indicators.

This recognition at a state level has been received 24 years after Menorca became a Reserve of the Biosphere, and adds to the international prize that GOB received in those first years. That award was given in 1997, by TUI International that wanted to honour the active contribution by GOB for making the Reserve of the Biosphere a reality and not just an honorific title.