The island's countryside demands that the land be used for agriculture.

PalmThe primary sector in the Balearic Islands is struggling with problems that have worsened over the years. Drought, health alerts, the permissiveness of the authorities in allowing inappropriate uses of rural land, and a lack of generational leadership are some of them. The few remaining workers in the primary sector are looking for ways to survive, while the debate about the importance of agriculture, fishing, and livestock farming for preserving the territory and the environmental sustainability of the Balearic Islands is increasingly prominent.

The sector wants to join forces with the government to promote its activities and take advantage of available natural and territorial resources. How can this be achieved? What are the sector's challenges for 2026?

Rural land, for agriculture

Limit the uses and access to Foravila

In 10 years (from 2013 to 2023), the Balearic Islands lost 28,500 hectares of agricultural land and 1,700 farms, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE). "Foravila has been limited by urban development pressure and inappropriate uses of rural land, which have led to the abandonment of the land," explains Miquel Coll, president of the Association of Organic Agricultural Production of Mallorca (APAEMA). Along with the abandonment of land, the number of workers in the sector has also steadily declined. According to the General Treasury of Social Security (TGSS), in 2024 there were 6,685 people registered as agricultural workers, 0.2% fewer than in 2023. To address these problems, the primary sector knows exactly what to do: dedicate rural land to agriculture.

Until recently, a stroll through the Balearic countryside served to highlight the importance of agriculture and livestock farming. Today, a simple walk is enough to confirm the increase in the number of villas and solar farms. To avoid dedicating more hectares of rural land to these activities, organic producers like Xisco Llompart advocate for "promoting the installation of solar panels in industrial areas." As explained by ARA Baleares, if existing industrial land, parking lots, and land designated for facilities were used, not a single additional hectare of rural land would need to be consumed to accommodate the 1,500 hectares of new solar farms currently under development. Llompart criticizes the fact that multinational corporations "have created a monopoly with solar energy and are allowed to choose where to install it." To reverse this situation, he proposes that farms allocate a small percentage of their land to a photovoltaic system. "Provided that the main focus of the business is agriculture and not solar energy," he clarifies. This initiative would also boost energy generation for the farmers themselves, and the territory would not suffer the impact of installing thousands of hectares of solar panels. Regarding housing construction, farmers believe the Balearic Islands should follow the Menorca model, where building homes in rural areas was prohibited. This prohibition has exceptions since the Prohens government approved the Law on Urgent Actions for Acquiring Land through Strategic Residential Projects. This Land Acquisition Law has brought various landowners and developers to the negotiating table to try to launch projects, taking advantage of a unique opportunity to obtain millions in urban development rights under the pretext of building new homes. In addition to consuming even more land, new buildings use very scarce resources in the Balearic Islands, such as water. Reducing water consumption

Allocate this resource to the countryside

Construction in Foravila is consuming water at a time when even farmers don't have enough for irrigation. Moreover, water consumption is increasing. In 2024, consumption in Mallorca rose by 5.5% compared to 2023, according to data from the Environmental Sustainability Observatory of the Mallorca Preservation Foundation. And this is happening at a time when the island's aquifers—which provide 65% of the water supply—are in a worrying state. "It's as if we've been saving up for countless years, and now we're emptying it, but not filling it," says Coll. Furthermore, overexploitation has led to the salinization of many aquifers.

According to official data accessed by ARA Baleares, significant groundwater bodies are over 80% exploited, while the Hydrological Plan sets precisely this percentage as the legal limit to guarantee their conservation. Coll adds that the availability of reclaimed water is "very low because it is of poor quality, as it has a high salt content and is unsuitable for irrigation." Along the same lines, he warns that the number of wastewater treatment plants is limited, so "practices must be implemented to utilize groundwater and allocate it to agriculture, rather than watering gardens or filling swimming pools." To make good use of the resource, Llompart emphasizes that "top priority should be given to vegetable and fruit farming, while simultaneously promoting extensive dryland agriculture." Similarly, the farmers are asking the Catalan government, which wants to purchase a farm with a maximum budget of six million euros for agricultural research, not to invest in "experimental fields," as "they are not profitable and the results do not reach the farmers." As an alternative, they propose that the government "support farmers in implementing new practices with the help of its technicians."

Although farmers' complaints are mainly directed at government agencies, citizens play an important role in water consumption. There are towns in Mallorca, such as Banyalbufar, where residents have experienced water scarcity firsthand.

Better conserve the environment

Protect spaces and species

The protection of environmental spaces and animal species is another pending challenge this year, although decrees with specific management plans have been issued in recent years. However, Miquel Camps, the Territorial Policy Coordinator for GOB Menorca, warns that there is still a lack of planning to implement the regulations, including projects that would allow for the practical application of all the rules for the protection of natural spaces and the species that inhabit them. Furthermore, specific guidelines are needed to guarantee the conservation of native species in light of the introduction of non-native species in the Balearic Islands in recent years. Camps calls for species such as the ferreret (a type of weasel) and the lizard to be officially recognized as endangered and for recovery plans to be initiated to prevent their extinction. Breeding these species in captivity would be useful for their reintroduction.

On the other hand, the work being done to prevent and combat phenomena such as forest fires must continue in order to conserve the environment. Grazing techniques must also be implemented to clear the forests, which are currently a tinderbox due to their dense vegetation. Experts consulted by ARA Baleares believe that past practices should be revived to improve land management, prevent disasters, and mitigate the effects of climate change.

Sea Quality

Stop the dumping

The quality of the seawater has only worsened in recent years, and coves have even been closed due to sewage spills. "There is an accumulation of organic matter that alters the color of the water," explains Raquel Vaquer, coordinator of the Balearic Sea Report. To "massively mask the problem," according to the experts consulted, traffic pumps have been installed on the beaches. "That only makes the water look less green; it doesn't address the root of the problem," they lament. The spills must be controlled.