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The Menorca Living Lab process, led by GOB Menorca and its program Custòdia Agrària, builds on an existing farm network that unites the island’s civil society and 39 farms under the philosophy of ‘Land Stewardship.’ Together, these farms represent a total area of 2,900 hectares and 4% of the territory of the island.

This program was created as a means to preserve Menorca’s landscape and its biodiversity. The key aim of Custòdia Agrària is to regard farmers as custodians of nature and the island’s characteristic mosaic landscape, and not as a threat to it. Up until now GOB Menorca has been accompanying these farmers in their transition towards agroecological practices through training and consulting, field materials, product promotion, and policy advocacy.

With GOV4ALL, GOB Menorca aims to go a step further in the support it has provided to farmers. Their needs and the challenges they face in their day-to-day work will be in the spotlight of this process, to which all stakeholders on the island will be invited and actively involved. The resulting hub and the co-creation process will engage more local farmers in the transition to sustainable agriculture.

One of the main challenges of the territory is the heritage of the traditionally heavy focus on cow farming for milk production. This has given rise to depleted soil fertility, groundwater pollution due to unmanaged cow manure, and a farming industry over-dependent on international milk prices. In addition to that, climate change and the high level of human pressure during the summer season (1.5 million tourists in 2023 on an island with a resident population of approx. 100K people) represent the main local threats.

GOB Menorca already has its own voice in local politics and is part of many networks and social alliances, both inside and outside the territory of the island. The Living Lab will leverage this to improve commercialisation channels for producers, ease the challenges of working in an isolated territory, and directly respond to farmers’ needs, whether agricultural or economical.