The Cabildo of La Gomera continues to promote the Insular Land Bank, a free public service aimed at facilitating the recovery of abandoned or disused land and promoting its incorporation into new agricultural, livestock, forestry and agroecological projects on the island.
The island president, Casimiro Curbelo, highlighted that this initiative "allows giving a new use to land that is currently unused and, at the same time, generating opportunities for those people who want to develop or expand an activity linked to the primary sector." In this sense, he stressed the importance of having tools that contribute to keeping the territory alive, recovering productive surface and reinforcing the agricultural activity of the island.
For her part, the Primary Sector counselor, Noelia Morales, pointed out that the Land Bank "facilitates the meeting between those who have land that cannot or do not wish to work at the moment and those who need land to launch or expand their projects." Likewise, he stressed that "it is a free public service that seeks to simplify this contact and accompany both parties during the process."
Thus, this tool contributes to promoting the sustainable development of the Gomero countryside, stopping the loss of agricultural land and generating new opportunities for economic activity and employment.
The Land Bank is voluntary, public and free. Owners can incorporate land for transfer or lease while maintaining their rights over the property, while claimants have a tool to locate plots that may fit the characteristics and needs of their projects.
As of today, the platform includes nearly fifty plots on offer throughout the island, and 39 registered demands. In addition to facilitating the meeting between supply and demand, the service provides information, advice and mediation between the parties to favor the achievement of transfer or leasing agreements. The Department of Agriculture also offers support, guidance, training and technical monitoring to those who promote new agricultural projects.
The recovery of these surfaces also has a direct impact on the conservation of the territory. Keeping farms in use allows us to reduce the effects associated with the abandonment of agricultural land, such as the increased risk of fires, the proliferation of pests, erosion, the degradation of the rural landscape and the loss of productive surface.
In this sense, the island president pointed out that "recovering agricultural land not only means promoting economic and productive activity, but also contributing to the care of the landscape and the conservation of a territory that is part of the identity of La Gomera."
A tool for owners and new producers
The Cabildo encourages people who own abandoned agricultural land or who currently cannot work to incorporate it into the Land Bank. Making it available makes it possible to preserve the productive capacity of the properties, reduce the needs derived from their maintenance and open the possibility of reaching transfer or lease agreements with guarantees.
Likewise, people looking for land to develop an agricultural activity can register their demand and consult the available plots, either to launch a new initiative or to expand an existing farm.
Offers and demands are managed through the Agroecological Land Bank platform of the TERRAE Network, in which users can register and consult the basic characteristics of the available land. The process can also be channeled with the support of the Agriculture Area of the Cabildo.
Information and contact
People interested in offering a property, requesting land or receiving advice on the operation of the Insular Land Bank can contact by phone 649 60 93 7, or email bancodetierras@lagomera.es.
You can also consult the information of the Insular Land Bank on the Cabildo de La Gomera website and access the Agroecological Land Bank platform to find out about the available offers and demands.
