This thirty-first of October, Lanzarote became the first European island to achieve the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) award by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). A long road that began in May 2022, when the candidacy was launched from a Cabildo presided over by Dolores Corujo, thanks to the unanimous agreement of all the political forces of the Corporation, the support of the island's society, and with the backing of the Canary Islands Government.
Then, another presidency and government would take over, that of Betancort, who was responsible for culminating, embracing, and accepting, in Rome, such a distinguished award on behalf of the people of Lanzarote and Graciosa.
But the true protagonists, the authors of the masterpiece of traditional cultivation on the island of volcanoes, of the miracle of the product that is born from the enarenados, the jable or volcanic ash of La Geria, are the farmers, the field professionals, and those hands that make it possible generation after generation.
Men and women, whether their names are Ruymán, Sandra, or Benjamín, who achieve it through their effort, commitment, and love for the land. All of them deserve applause and collective recognition, and the firm commitment that the award will make their activity easier.
That is the challenge. To turn this distinction into a turning point, a change lever that helps them in the work they do. A noble, praiseworthy, and arduous exercise if there ever was one, that allows us to keep our traditions and our history alive. To preserve the landscape, be it those unique gardens in the form of sand farms, or the rofe hollows typical of La Geria.
To supply a zero-kilometer product that dazzles the tourist and delights the resident's table, be they potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, grapes... To show the unconditional love for this land by the generations that make it possible, but also to create wealth and jobs.
Therefore, taking advantage of the well-deserved award and making it easier for them is a non-negotiable duty to guarantee that they do not lack water with which to irrigate the land.
Avoiding the "come back tomorrow" for those young entrepreneurs who approach the administration because they want to dedicate themselves to the primary sector and ensure the essential generational change.
Encouraging the progress of their files, when they request to build small walls to protect their crops, to be provided with cisterns to collect rainwater, to distribute the volcanic ash among their farms, or to facilitate that their effort is rewarded with fiscal support measures, which compensate for the lower production of these miraculous crops.
But also, treat them with respect and ensure that the chest-thumping when speaking about you translates into actions, measures, and policies that make your work easier, regardless of the political affiliation of those in power at any given time.
Therefore, and on this special occasion, our congratulations to all the hands that have worked and made this well-deserved Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System Lanzarote possible.
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