The countryside clings to tourism to save itself

PalmIf the agricultural law finalized by the Government were approved as drafted, the islands' countryside could accommodate thousands of new tourist beds thanks to the increase in the number of farm stays that each professional farm can have. Farms with preferential or priority status—those professionally engaged in agriculture—will be able to request up to 10 tourist beds. This is a "blunder" according to conservation groups and some agricultural organizations, and a "necessity" according to the Executive, which maintains that it is the only way to make viable a sector that has been in decline for years.

There are between 2,000 and 3,000 professional farms in the Balearic Islands. Therefore, the maximum number of new beds would be around 30,000. The manager of the Association of Ecological Farmers of Mallorca (Apaema), Nofre Fullana, believes that "this is not the way to go." "Complementary and tourist activities cannot be a priority in the countryside, because they denature it," he asserts. Along the same lines, a group of nearly thirty farmers, most of them organic farmers, have presented objections to the regulation, which they point out promotes "complementary uses on rural land and will open the door to greater hidden urbanization, the main environmental and agricultural problem of the Islands."

For his part, the Regional Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and the Environment, Joan Simonet, the main proponent of the law, argues that "the countryside has always lagged behind." "Everyone has embraced tourism as a source of income, and when we do, it turns out we don't have the right to," he claims. In any case, Simonet points out that tourist spaces "must be purchased through the pool of spaces and must be available." "There won't be any avalanche. I wish that pure activity in the primary sector alone would be enough to live off the land, but unfortunately, that's not the case. In the rest of the regions and in Europe, you realize that complementary activity is essential. We don't do anything that others haven't promoted first," he adds.

Building Expansion

The law not only increases the number of tourist spaces that a professional farm can accommodate from six to ten, but also allows for the expansion of buildings by up to 20% and eliminates the need for a declaration of general interest for tourist activities. In the opinion of Jaume Adrover, a professional farmer who is part of the group that has submitted a petition to the Regional Ministry, "the agricultural function of rural land is once again distorted, and commercial, tourist, and urban development activities are being facilitated." "We are once again focusing on everything that isn't food production. The main function of the countryside is to provide citizens with quality products, and this law aims to increasingly dedicate us to tourism and urban development," he laments.

"I am willing to listen and incorporate constructive criticism," Simonet asserts, referring to the initial reactions to the law. "If anyone now accuses us of promoting too much tourism in the countryside, I want to remind you that the ten spaces are the ones that Unió de Pagesos presented to us as a proposal within the framework of the revision of another regulation, and that Asaja [the most liberal association in the agricultural sector] had requested 12. I think we are simply taking what the sector is asking for."

In the allegations they have presented, some farmers remind the Regional Ministry that the lack of commitment to rural and productive countryside has led to "between 2015 and 2023, nearly 3,000 chalets have been built in Foravila, which have permanently disfigured up to 5." "We have asked that the regulation be withdrawn and rewritten. If we really want to help farmers, there are many initiatives that can be taken. But they cannot make us believe that bringing tourists to the countryside and promoting its urban uses is good for the land: it will promote even more speculation," explains Adrover.

The minister insists that complementary activities "cannot be demonized." "There are very fertile agricultural areas, others less so. There are farms that struggle to make a living off the land, and our responsibility is to make it possible for a group of tourists to enjoy a few days in the countryside. This has nothing to do with agrotourism. It's a model based on authenticity and proximity to the land, which has developed them, which those who are, for example, the many, the proximity to the land. It goes against agricultural activity, but rather consolidates it," he concludes.

Prohibiting new construction

The groups most critical of this regulation and the direction the parade has taken, such as Apaema, believe that the urgent need is to "preserve the land," Fullana emphasizes. "Right now, this means prohibiting new construction on rural land. Our organization has long been calling for a halt to the trickle of new rural buildings, which have nothing to do with promoting agricultural and livestock activity," he warns.

All parties agree that the agricultural and livestock sector is still struggling to recover despite the numerous campaigns, initiatives, and public declarations about its importance. "Agriculture manages 85% of the land," recalls a government technician with nearly 30 years of experience who requests anonymity because he is currently employed. "We haven't been able to make it truly profitable," he asserts. In this regard, he laments that "everyone talks about local and zero-mile produce, but when it comes down to it, the vast majority go to the supermarket to look for private label brands because they're cheaper." "We find a €1.80 lettuce that's organic expensive, and we spend a fortune on other things," he laments.

One initiative that the agricultural sector had placed hopes on was the requirement for hotels and restaurants to include local products—between 3% and 5% depending on the type of establishment. "I have the feeling it's been a failure. Since the time of Cañellas, we've talked about hotels selling food from the Islands, and yet they don't, because they only want economic profitability," says the same source from the Administration. When asked by ARA Baleares, Simonet asserts that he does not have the data. "In any case, we must remember that the inspection function of compliance with this law [Law 3/2022 on urgent measures for the sustainability and circularity of tourism in the Balearic Islands] falls to the island councils," he responds.

All of this means that only between 10% and 15% of the food consumed in the Balearic Islands is produced locally. A study by Unió de Pagesos on several supermarkets in Mallorca concluded that only between 10% and 20% of the vegetables sold in large supermarkets are grown on the islands.

For now, the main organizations in the sector will be preparing their contributions over the next few days. "To share our views," says Nofre Fullana. The deadline for submitting objections is October 24th. After that, we'll have to see how the draft turns out, which the Government will send to Parliament to begin processing.