FAO Digital Media Hub - SPAIN 2025. Agricultural systems in jable and volcanic sands in Lanzarote Island

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SPAIN 2025. Agricultural systems in jable and volcanic sands in Lanzarote Island

22 April 2025. Lanzarote Island, Spain. Lanzarote grape grower Ascensión Robayna has farmed over 20 hectares in La Geria for 17 years, fiercely defending traditional agriculture as a path to sustainability.

04/22/2025

Country or Territory Spain

Related URL www.fao.org/giahs/en/

File size 19.73 MB

Unique ID UF19YP4

Editorial use only. Photo credit must be given. For further information contact: Photo-Library@fao.org

Background Information Between 1730 and 1736, the eruptions of Timanfaya buried the northeastern part of the island under lava: several villages and the most fertile farmland disappeared. Pyroclasts or lapilli were carried by the trade winds and deposited on the hillsides, forming a layer of volcanic ash, known locally as rofe, that covered the fertile soil.

A few years later, farmers adapted vine-growing techniques using rofe, which they had already been using near Corona volcano. They created the numerous pits and protective stone walls that now define the landscape of La Geria.

This vineyard area, characteristic of Lanzarote, is a unique agro-system in the world.