A landscape restoration project offers hope in Andalusia.
Nearly three-quarters of Spanish territory is at risk of desertification. In olive and almond growing areas of the country’s southern Andalusia region, farmers are already feeling the effects of climate change with worsening droughts. These droughts not only stump olive production but dry out the soil, leaving it more susceptible to erosion. Poor harvests as a result of these climate factors can send olive oil prices through the roof, as shoppers found to their dismay in 2022/23.
In the semi-arid Altiplano Estepario, farmers had become accustomed to heavy tilling and irrigating land to make it fertile for their crops. Many were not accustomed to returning organic material to the soil. While these practices brought about short-term gains, their long-term effects on the land are unsustainable as they make it prone to erosion and reduce its natural capacity to retain water.
To address this, the AlVelAl association brought together hundreds of farmers and businesses to restore the landscape through regenerative farming practices, which include no-tilling land management, agroforestry, cover cropping, and composting. By focusing on the soil, this project sought to trigger a domino effect that brings new financial opportunities to local communities, all the while improving the health of the natural ecosystems in the region. Through the GOV4ALL project, the Altiplano Estepario territory will share its knowledge with communities facing similar challenges in France and Greece.
