Today Ana Juan, president of the Consell de Formentera, and Marcos Ribas, president of the Cooperativa del Camp, signed a concerted action agreement between the two entities. Funding for this year's agreement has been increased from the 2022 amount of €130,000 to €150,000. Josep Marí, rural affairs councillor, and Carlos Marí, manager of the Cooperativa del Camp, also attended the signing.

This agreement seeks to give continuity to the actions of the public programme to revive the agricultural sector and improve Formentera's rural environment and landscapes. It also aims to reactivate agricultural activity on the island with all the economic, social, cultural and environmental advantages that this entails. To that end, the deal prioritises recovery and improvement actions on plots of land donated to an initiative known as the "farmland reserve", or cens de terres, as well as efforts to restore the Can Marroig-Can Ballet estate per the respective transfer documents included in the present agreement. The agreement extends to all actions carried out by the Cooperativa, which focuses on reinvigorating local farming and the island's rural spaces and landscapes.

The terms of the deal also entail an extension of the Cooperativa's contract to manage the Can Marroig-Can Ballet estate.

5 May 2023
Office of Communication
Consell de Formentera

The Office of Rural Environment of the Consell de Formentera is pleased to report that local government and the island's agricultural cooperative, La Cooperativa del Camp, have joined forces to launch a service to relay phytosanitary and irrigation-related information that can be used by Cooperativa members. Josep Marí, rural environment councillor, explained local government's support for the initiative: "Technological advances must also benefit Formentera's countryside. This is a way to tailor plant health treatments, prevent pests and diseases, and improve agricultural yield through the proper use of water".

This advisory service will receive inputs from two new agro-climatic stations in Es Cap and Sant Ferran that are equipped with soil humidity sensors and humidity, temperature and rainfall leaves, and two virtual weather data points in La Mola and Can Marroig. Data from the stations help generate predictive modelling and irrigation guidelines, not to mention information on risks of plant diseases and pests.

Once validated by the Cooperativa del Camp technical service, the resulting irrigation and health warnings and recommendations will be sent to member growers. A company specialised in this type of project installed the stations and computer system for €6,836.50 (VAT included). The operations were financed by the Office of Rural Environment.

3 May 2023
Office of Communication
Consell de Formentera

The Office of Rural Affairs of the Consell de Formentera has put together a video for "From Formentera with Flavour" (De Formentera amb molt de gust), a campaign to elevate, encourage and promote local produce.

"The clip shows traditional vocations like fishing, agriculture and livestock rearing and production processes which tie into the campaign to showcase items produced on Formentera".

The aim is to cultivate visibility and recognition of products from the Formentera sea and countryside, as well as others which are processed locally, like xeixa flour, sobrassada, honey and wine.

Launched before the 2022 season, "De Formentera amb molt de gust" combines illustrations of various local products with an attractive design that distinguishes growers, producers and distributors' points of sale so that both residents and visitors can recognise and value locally-sourced fare on Formentera.

The new push has now been activated in the run-up to summer 2023. The Office of Tourism will additionally publicise the campaign among visitors.

Additionally available on the office's website is Formentera Slow Food map, which highlights points of sale of growers, producers and distributors of made-on-Formentera products.

3 April 2023
Office of Communication
Consell de Formentera

In 2023, the Office of Rural Affairs of the Consell de Formentera will offer €50,000 in subsidies for livestock and agriculture. The municipal budget contains a line item reserved in this amount. The terms and conditions are currently being prepared to simplify the application process and tailor it to the needs of the sector. They will be completed during the month of April.

Last year the Consell offered aid for this sector to the tune of €30,000, which benefited roughly twenty farmers and ranchers. "This year we have increased aid by €20,000 to allow the local primary sector to deal with rising costs of materials used on farms and stay viable", said Josep Marí, rural affairs councillor.

Concerted action with Cooperativa del Camp
Moreover, the councillor pointed out that at the March plenary assembly, which will take place tomorrow Friday 31 March, local decision-makers will approve the proposed agreement for concerted action with the Cooperativa del Camp, which, at €150,000, is €20,000 more than in 2022.

As Marí explained, "in view of the Cooperativa's expanding activity and rising costs, and to promote a sector that generates so many benefits for the island, not only by creating a circular economy, but also by preserving our traditional landscape and the environment, we have decided to increase the Consell's support for activity in the sector too".

The aim of the agreement is for the Cooperativa del Camp of Formentera to continue the actions of the public programme to revive the agricultural sector and improve Formentera's rural environment and landscape in 2023.

30 March 2023
Office of Communication
Consell de Formentera