Do you buy organic and ecologically produced food on Costa Tropical? You find it, but not in most supermarkets and often the eco-products they sell come from afar.
Luckily, we do have Ecomercados once a month in many places with local farmers. But there are few and many of the farmers struggle with getting means to end. Despite this, Andalucia hosts half of all ecological farming in Spain. So, are the consumers not interested? Is it not a commercially viable choice for the farmers? How can we all help?
A recent report titled “The Food, the Bees and the Pesticides” prepared by the Swedish Naturskyddsföreningen (Association for the protection of nature), tested fruits and vegetables from ‘conventional’ farming and found worrisome levels of dangerous substances. The absence of bees is critically linked to the way we produce our food. The report laid out many generic conclusions and recommendations applicable also to Spain.
Pelle Lundborg, a Swedish ecological fruit farmer in Carratraca, Málaga, at Finca Solmark (fincasolmark.es), says: “Organic farming uses more preventive work and does not use chemical pesticides, which results in healthier bees and fewer pesticides in nature. Sadly, the compensation for organic products is often too low to pay the production costs, and many organic farms are closing. And I never understood the requirement for selling perfect products, looking all the same. This got worse since the cucumbers had to be straight in 1988 (this EU rule was then removed in 2009). It is ridiculous that logistics define our food – how many straight cucumbers fit in a truck compared to if they are naturally crooked – instead of the quality, its taste and nutritional content. The appearance rarely matters, production methods and harvesting do.” We met Pelle at Los Nordicos and arranged a visit to his finca some time back. Much of his produce is shipped to Sweden and sold via internet.
The same goes for Manolo and his family La Herradura Coffee and Fruit farm in Almuñecar (fincadecafe.com), who also sell mostly via internet. Los Nordicos visited a few years ago, to learn about permaculture. Fascinating. He imitates natural ecosystems and builds on the family legacy of the land. This amazing story has recently been captured by Netflix and may appear soon as a documentary.
A favorite excursion among our Los Nordicos members over the years is to Finca Piñero in Torrecuevas-Almuñecar. Antonio Guerrero is another passionate eco-farmer of tropical fruits, who sells the produce in the family frutería in Almuñecar.
Sadly, some Spanish farmers complain about the ‘restrictions’ imposed by EU to use dangerous pesticides or fertilisers, proven to be very harmful to our health, nature and ecosystems. The good news is that organic farming in Andalucía is experiencing a historic boom, as the leader in Spain (and Europe?) with 1.5 million hectares and growth exceeding 88% in the last decade. It represents nearly 30% of Andalucía’s agricultural land. There seems to be better profitability and commitment to generational renewal and sustainability. So, why don’t we find more ecological products in our supermarkets? We, the consumers, can put pressure on politicians and grocery stores. Here are some of the recommendations from the Swedish report:
To consumers
• Ask and buy organic when you shop. When you do, you help the bees while avoiding unnatural chemical pesticides in your food.
• Accept cosmetic defects in the vegetable counter. By choosing crops with varying appearances and new varieties, it becomes easier for farmers to reduce the use of pesticides.
To the grocery store
• Retailers have great power over which foods are produced and sold. When grocery store’s eco-campaigning decrease (like in Sweden), sales of organic products and the proportion of organic agricultural land also decrease.
• Work to increase sales of organic products. More eco-campaigns, a larger selection of organic products, better placement of organic products on shelves and lower profit margins for organic products.
• Increase acceptance of “non-perfect” crops and new varieties.
To politicians
• Set clear targets for reduced pesticide use. Update national targets and strategies so that they lead to a sharp reduction in the use of chemical pesticides and an increased proportion of organic farming.
• Use policy instruments that make it easier to opt out of chemicals. Lower the VAT on organic food, introduce a differentiated pesticide tax based on environmental risk, and work for higher compensation for farmers who take environmental measures.
• Invest in knowledge and alternatives to chemical pesticides. Increase funding for research aimed at developing and increasing the use of preventive and non-chemical methods in agriculture.
Let us support and buy from our local producers of ecological food!
For more information about AHN-CN Los Nordicos-Almuñecar Costa Tropical: losnordicos.com