If you are to eat figs, let it be mine: the campaign of Lloret and Arcufi to save the fig tree

LloretThe fig tree has been, for centuries, one of the icons of the landscape and pantry of Mallorca, but its survival does not depend solely on the climate, but on our purchasing decisions. With this conviction, the new initiative of the Association for the Recovery of Fig Cultivation, known as ARCUFI, is born, which has just presented in Lloret de Vistalegre the campaign titled with a slogan as direct as it is suggestive: “If you eat a fig, make it mine”. This proposal is not only a play on words with local varieties, but an urgent call to consumer responsibility and the self-esteem of the primary sector.

The essence of the campaign, which was unveiled last Saturday, prior to the Fair, with very attractive graphic material including posters, t-shirts, and bags, stems from the need to support the island's farmers who still maintain this crop. From the ARCUFI association they explain that “the intention has no expiration date because the task of preserving agricultural and cultural heritage is a constant struggle”. Although the slogan plays with the double meaning and the names of the varieties of our land, the ultimate goal is to assert the value of zero-kilometer products and ensure that local varieties continue to be rooted in the region, in the Pla, and throughout the Island.

The initiative will have a direct and very visible impact during the celebration of the 45th edition of the Sequer festival, an event that will take place on August 29th. This year, the festival will not only be an exhibition, but will take a qualitative leap towards authenticity. For the first time, the rules for the gastronomic market have been revised, and all dishes served will be required to contain the fig as an ingredient. It does not have to be the absolute protagonist, but it must be present in each preparation, whether as an accompaniment or within the main recipe, turning the day into an authentic culinary laboratory centered around this fruit.

But ARCUFI and the festival committee have wanted to go a step further to close the circle of local consumption. So that no one has an excuse, an exhaustive directory of farmers and producers from Mallorca who sell figs and their derivatives has been compiled. This list has been provided to all market vendors so they know exactly where to buy island-grown produce. Those who prove that their figs were grown and harvested here will receive a special badge to be displayed at their stall, allowing visitors to quickly identify where this commitment to local produce is practiced.

Another of the major novelties that will make Lloret the nerve center for the recovery of the species is the opening of a space dedicated exclusively to Mallorcan nurserymen. This idea arises directly from the consultations that ARCUFI receives daily from people who want to plant a fig tree at home and do not know where to find one of a local variety with guarantees. With this nurserymen's fair and the presence of associations dedicated to the preservation of local varieties, the aim is to encourage and facilitate any citizen to contribute to keeping this heritage alive.

The presentation event was attended by members of the Lloret Town Council and also Toni Feliu, a farmer and member of the Association of Local Varieties, who has endorsed the importance of creating a network between those who cultivate and those who consume.

Since its foundation in 1981, the Sequer festival has evolved from a small gathering to remember how fruit was dried on the estates to becoming a massive event that now, with the campaign "If you eat figs, eat mine," vindicates its origins and the future of Mallorcan agriculture more than ever.