Many farmers have been demanding for some time the creation of a place that allows the conservation, sanitation, improvement; and, if possible, recovery of our plant varieties; although with respect to some we have to get used to the idea that they have disappeared forever from the Lanzarote field.
We know that technicians from La Granja considered carrying out a project aimed at providing the Cabildo facilities with a seed bank. But, the reality is that for one reason or another this project has never been executed.
In the past, varieties were cultivated in this land that were highly appreciated throughout the Canary Islands, such as the black apple tomato, the Caraqueño melon, the egg yolk sweet potato or the Lanzarote watermelon. These varieties, despite not being originally from here, the truth is that over the years they were adapting - harvest after harvest - to the conditions of the soil and climate of the island, which gave them very particular organoleptic characteristics that came to considerably improve those brought from their places of origin.
Today, two realities are confirmed:
-That we have not been able to start a seed bank to preserve our plant heritage that has been providing unique food products.
-And, that we cannot continue to irretrievably lose the few varieties that remain, such as our onions or lentils, as well as some other rye, barley or wheat seeds. So we have to do something.
The main purpose of this agricultural association is to seek solutions to the problems of the primary sector. Therefore, in order to achieve the objective of conserving our plant varieties, it is proposed to consider as an option what is being done by the Cabildos of La Gomera and El Hierro.
These two councils have corrected their deficiencies of not having technical means to develop their respective seed banks by turning to the Cabildo of La Palma, which with extensive experience in the field has been developing its Agrodiversity Center and in whose facilities more than 300 plant varieties are preserved. This center has shown its willingness to provide the necessary advice for the establishment of a seed bank in each of the islands of La Gomera and El Hierro. Moreover, these councils have turned to the Government of the Canary Islands so that through its Ministry of Agriculture it finances both projects.
The Ministry of Agriculture has recently approved a budget item for the Island Councils of El Hierro and La Gomera for the implementation and management of a germplasm bank to conserve and study the phytogenetic resources present in these islands in order to prevent them from disappearing due to the progressive abandonment that the agricultural sector has been experiencing in the Canary Islands in recent decades. All this, with the ultimate goal of allowing a greater use of the economic potential of local agricultural productions, favoring productive diversification and enabling the obtaining of higher incomes in rural areas.
Sometimes it is advisable, contrary to what one might think, to look outside not only as an example of what is being done that can serve as a stimulus, but to contrast what we do not do well and should correct.
Therefore, we ask the Cabildo of Lanzarote, once again, to avoid the loss of our plant varieties, to subscribe to the initiatives of other cabildos; or, failing that, to adopt the appropriate measures so that the long-awaited seed bank is "finally" a reality.
Signed by the S.A.T. EL JABLE: "We cultivate the landscape of Lanzarote, a possible island".