The Teguise City Council has freely ceded 310 plots of farmland to citizens who have requested them, out of a total of 2.5 million square meters divided into some 350 plots of 10,000 square meters, according to reports from the Council.
The mayor of Teguise, Juan Pedro Hernández, states that "this initiative was launched eight months ago and of the 350 plots only 40 remain to be handed over", but "there is a waiting list of 80 people". "These farms, for decades, have only been occupied by a third, we even eliminated the fee that was previously paid annually and the demand did not increase, there was simply no interest in the countryside. Now this has been reactivated," he stated.
The lands that remain to be given are lands that some family previously owned, so they must first be notified and, if they have no interest in working the land, they can pass it on to another interested party, the City Council reports.
The lands are mainly sandy. In the past, only sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots, pumpkins or watermelons were mainly planted, but many of the new farmers are experts in the field and are growing chard, tomatoes, lettuce or millet. They are all helped by the fact that all the lands have a water point that can be used for drip irrigation, as well as the machinery that the City Council rents at very low prices.
The contracts have a duration of two years and the only requirement that the Council places is that the lands are cared for, since otherwise the agreement is not renewed.
