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FAO / NEW GIAHS SITE IN LANZAROTE SHOWCASES CLIMATE RESILIENT AGRICULTURE

On the arid island of Lanzarote (Spain), where black volcanic fields evoke a lunar landscape, local farmers have developed a unique agricultural system now recognized as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for its resilience in the face of extreme climatic conditions.

Language Spanish

Country Spain

Duration 2m49s

Edit Version International

Video Type Video News Release (VNR)

Date 05/21/2025

File size 373.62 MB

Unique ID UF1A0GJ

Production details and shotlist

UNFAO Source FAO Video

Shotlist 23-25 APRIL 2025, LA GERIA, LANZAROTE, SPAIN:

1. Various shots, expansive view of La Geria’s volcanic vineyards with mountains and villages in the background, showing the scale and pattern of traditional cultivation pits.

2. Various shots, organic farmer María Guerra Martín working on her “enarenado” land in Tinajo, Lanzarote.
3. SOUNDBITE (Spanish), María Guerra Martín, organic farmer: “To me, it’s kind of like a small miracle, what you see here. Because I find it fascinating to see that soil like this, which seems completely barren, could support the crops and they grow beautifully.”
4. Various shots, María Guerra Martín shows her chicken egg production and her female camel

5. SOUNDBITE (Spanish), María Guerra Martín, organic farmer: “[This system of production] efficiently uses water resources and it has been adapted to extreme weather conditions. And seeing how the world is going, with less rain and more heat, maybe farmers elsewhere can learn and apply our techniques.”

6. Wide shot, volcanic hill with sparse vegetation and traditional stone wall shelter for vines, surrounded by black lava fields and mountains in the background.

7. Various shots, legumes and strawberry production on black volcanic soil

8. Various shots, traditional wine maker Ascensión Robayna inspecting her vineyards.

9. SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Ascensión Robayna, traditional viticulturist from La Geria (Spanish): “It is essential that FAO, a global organization, designates these ecosystems as GIAHS [Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems], because they safeguard knowledge that is necessary not only for those of us who live on this island, which it certainly is, but also as part of the vital knowledge needed at a time when food must be produced under increasingly extreme weather conditions.”

10. Various shots, farmers working the volcanic land

Script STORY: FAO / NEW GIAHS SITE IN LANZAROTE SHOWCASES CLIMATE RESILIENT AGRICULTURE
TRT: 2:50
SOURCE: FAO
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT FAO ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: SPANISH / NATS
DATELINE: 23-25 APRIL 2025, LANZAROTE, SPAIN / RECENT

On the arid island of Lanzarote (Spain), where black volcanic fields evoke a lunar landscape, local farmers have developed a unique agricultural system now recognized as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for its resilience in the face of extreme climatic conditions.

Currently covering over 12,000 hectares, this drought-prone region which receives less than 150 mm of rainfall annually supports the production of grapes, legumes, cereals and fruits. The farmers combine mulching with volcanic ash from eruptions with materials transported from volcanic zones, a technique known as “enarenado.” They also use “jable technique,” a mulching technique that employs sea sand to trap moisture.
María Guerra Martín, 24, is a farmer and livestock producer in Tinajo (Lanzarote).

Maria’s father began to practice organic farming when she was three. When he retired in 2023, María took over the family business, continuing to produce potatoes and legumes using volcanic lapilli and sea sand to capture moisture and protect the soil.

Lanzarote farmers developed the enarenado system after the 1730–36 eruptions of the Timanfaya Vulcan, covering soils with volcanic lapilli (picón) to conserve water and reduce evaporation.

María considers enarenados “a miracle” of climate-resilient agriculture, proving the importance of local traditional knowledge to mitigate extreme weather events.
SOUNDBITE (Spanish), María Guerra Martín, organic farmer: “To me, it’s kind of like a small miracle, what you see here. Because I find it fascinating to see that soil like this, which seems completely barren, could support the crops and they grow beautifully.”

Last season, María produced over 5 000 kilos of potatoes she sold locally. She complements her income by selling chicken eggs daily.
María believes that, in a world impacted by climate extremes, the techniques of Lanzarote’s agricultural system can be replicated elsewhere.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), María Guerra Martín, organic farmer: “[This system of production] efficiently uses water resources and it has been adapted to extreme weather conditions. And seeing how the world is going, with less rain and more heat, maybe farmers elsewhere can learn and apply our techniques.”

Agriculture in Lanzarote is shaped by deep empirical knowledge passed down across generations. Techniques such as the semicircular stone walls (zocos) to shield individual vines from wind demonstrate a refined adaptation to the island’s unique geology and climate. In recent years, they have also been shared through cooperatives, schools, and farmer-led innovation initiatives.

Ascensión Robayna is a traditional wine maker in Lanzarote’s La Geria region. Among other varieties, she produces Malvasía Volcánica, a famed local wine whose production offers value-added opportunities for smallholders.

Ascensión believes it is very important that FAO has included Lanzarotes’ dryland agricultural systems in the GIAHS, known in Spanish as SIPAM. In her view, they offer an outstanding example of traditional adaptation to extreme environmental conditions.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Ascensión Robayna, traditional viticulturist from La Geria (Spanish): “It is essential that FAO, a global organization, designates these ecosystems as GIAHS [Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems], because they safeguard knowledge that is necessary not only for those of us who live on this island, which it certainly is, but also as part of the vital knowledge needed at a time when food must be produced under increasingly extreme weather conditions.”

Lanzarote’s systems were formally designated under FAO’s flagship programme during a meeting of the GIAHS Scientific Advisory Group on May 20-21.

During the meeting, other systems included in the heritage network were a traditional agroforestry system growing the erva-mate plant in Brazil, three sites in China specializing in pearl mussels, white tea and pears, and an ancestral system preserving vital food crops and biodiversity in Mexico.

With those additions, the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) network now counts 95 systems in 28 countries worldwide.

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FAO / NEW GIAHS SITE IN LANZAROTE SHOWCASES CLIMATE RESILIENT AGRICULTURE

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