The Extraordinary Plenary Session of the Cabildo of Lanzarote has definitively approved the regulatory bases for granting subsidies to the agricultural systems of the viticultural space of La Geria during its meeting on Wednesday, following a public consultation period.

This unanimous approval marks the culmination of a procedure initiated to promote the active conservation of the unique and protected viticultural landscape of La Geria, which holds immense cultural, agricultural, and environmental value for the island.

Oswaldo Betancort, the President of the Cabildo of Lanzarote and Councillor for Agriculture and Livestock, stated in a press release on Wednesday that “with this historic final approval, we take a vital step to ensure the future of La Geria’s landscape and those who work on it daily. This support line recognises the efforts of our winemakers, who not only preserve an ancestral way of life but also protect one of Lanzarote’s most valuable heritages.”

Additionally, the island’s leader expressed gratitude to all the political groups represented in the plenary for their support of this innovative subsidy and the congratulations received regarding the initiative. Betancort also committed to continuing efforts to secure regional support for a permanent financial allocation for this assistance programme.

The subsidies will be aimed at individuals or legal entities cultivating vines within the Protected Natural Space of La Geria, who commit to preserving traditional farming methods, such as the use of hollows and a layer of rofe, for the specified period. The mandatory maintenance period for conservation efforts will be three years following the justification of the grants.

This innovative support line totals €800,000

The approved bases respond to a direct subsidy from the Government of the Canary Islands amounting to €500,000, aimed at supporting winemakers who contribute to maintaining La Geria’s agricultural landscape. The Cabildo of Lanzarote will supplement this amount with its own resources to reach a total investment of €800,000 for this new economic support initiative aimed at farmers.

The allocation procedure will be non-competitive, ensuring maximum transparency and efficiency in the distribution of resources.

The complete text of the bases will be published soon in the Official Bulletin of the Province of Las Palmas. The Insular Agricultural Service of the Cabildo anticipates launching the call for applications by the end of September.

A World Treasure

This year, the FAO awarded the Protected Natural Space (PNS) of La Geria’s landscape the title of Important Agricultural Heritage System (SIPAM). Established as “La Geria Natural Park” in 1987 and reclassified in 1994 under Law 12/1994 of 19 December concerning Protected Natural Spaces in the Canary Islands, this landscape spans 5,255.4 hectares across the municipalities of Tinajo, Yaiza, Tías, San Bartolomé, and Teguise, with the aim of preserving traditional agricultural landscapes. Vineyards dominate the island’s agricultural area.

Cultivation occurs in unique agricultural systems worldwide. La Geria is the island’s premier viticultural area, hosting over 75% of the surface dedicated to this crop.

According to data from the regulatory document of this PNS, the area has 2,959 hectares of vineyards as the sole crop, comprising two types of agricultural systems: cultivation in natural sand shelters and cultivation in artificial sand shelters. Depending on the system, vines are planted in hollows of varying shapes (height, diameter, etc.) or in trenches (the current governing group has expressed its intention to enable future support for trench cultivation).