In the higher valleys of the Rioja region in Spain, farmland abandonment is an increasing problem. An Operational Group is identifying the main reasons behind this issue and carrying out activities to bring new farmers to the area and regenerate fruit production. At the same time, these actions contribute to conserving the soil, improving biodiversity and adapting to climate change.  

CARNA is an agricultural technical advisory organisation, they are lead partner of this Operational Group called GORTA. Nacho Ruiz, from CARNA, “In 2017, a couple of years before the start of this project, the statistics department of the Autonomous Community of La Rioja carried out a fruit tree inventory in the region. The research showed that 117 walnut plots (32 hectares) were semi-abandoned and 93 walnut plots (19 hectares) were totally abandoned”.