The Formentera Department of Agriculture unveiled its 2021 offering of capacity building in agriculture and livestock. Four modules will take place in March and another two in November; the first, a 12-hour course in environmentally-friendly and soil-healthy plant care, happens 8 and 9 March.

Signups are open now and can be completed by appointment at the Citizen Information Office (OAC) or online via the OVAC.

Reclaiming the countryside
Department head Josep Marí said the Consell’s longstanding commitment to free and local professional development for islanders employed in farming and livestock has “taken on new urgency in these times of pandemic”. The course programme is directly shaped by requests from agrarian and livestock workers.

The month of March comes with Managing crop irrigation (4 hours; 18 Mar.), Basic phytosanitary products in professional contexts (25 hours; 22-27 Mar.), Cultivating figs (4 hours, 30 Mar.), with Introductory beekeeping (15 hours, 5-7 Nov.) and Scaling green growing strategies (4 hours, 12 Nov.) arriving in the fall.

24 February 2021
Communications Department
Consell de Formentera

Last week 29 islanders with jobs in the local fishing industry took part in basic safety training organised by the Formentera Department of Agriculture and Fishing in association with the Balearic office of fishing, Palma’s Integrated Centre for Vocational Training in Nautical-Fisheries (CIFP Nàuticopesquera) and the Formentera Fishermen’s Guild.

Attended by FFG members and mandatory for any individual employed on a local fishing fleet, the hands-on course offered participants techniques to assist in survival, prevention and firefighting.

Department councillor Josep Marí pointed out that the classes were organised in such a way as to minimise travel, particularly at the present time. He praised the whole team’s efforts and highlighted the fact that no one’s accreditation required travel to Mallorca.

21 December 2020
Communications Department
Consell de Formentera

The Formentera Agriculture Department reiterates the restrictions on pruning plant species susceptible to the red palm weevil, namely, palm trees. Islanders are asked to limit their pruning to January and February, given these have been the coolest months in recent years.

FAD authorisation
Individuals must always have permission from the FAD before pruning palm trees, the goal being to safeguard pruned trees from infestation and to ensure proper disposal of the garden waste generated in the process. Permit requests are already being accepted, but pruning must not begin before January or after February. Individuals with FAD authorisation are allowed to take waste to the local transfer plant, free of charge. Weevil sightings should be reported to the FAD so the appropriate protocol may be implemented.

Rhynchophorus ferrugineus —the insect, also known as the red palm weevil, which attacks palm trees— reduces and even halts activity at low temperatures. Decree 4/2016 of January 29, which establishes the need for efforts within the Balearic region to eradicate the insect, restricts palm tree pruning to the chilliest months.

25 November 2020
Communications Department
Consell de Formentera

The president of the Consell de Formentera and the chairman of the Formentera Farmers’ Co-operative (Cooperativa del Camp), Alejandra Ferrer and Jaume Escandell, respectively, signed a joint action agreement to fund the Co-op’s work to re-energise the local agrarian sector and beautify rural and scenic spaces. The €78,000 included in the deal is in addition to €52,000 linked to a collaborative agreement the parties signed in May, for a grand total of €130,000 in funding in 2020.

Considering the importance of the island’s agricultural sector, President Ferrer said the Consell’s renewed support for the Co-op was particularly crucial amid the ongoing Covid-19 crisis: “It is the number one tool we have to protect local landscapes, power local production and economic diversification and care for our land as islanders have traditionally done in the past”.

Emergency orders meant an earlier signing of the joint action accord was placed on hold, and an interim agreement was reached to help the Co-op remain economically viable and fully operational. Agriculture councillor Josep Marí and Co-op director Carlos Marí were also on hand at the signing.

Joint action agreements are signed annually between the Consell de Formentera and Farmers’ Co-op to support local agriculture. Last year’s agreement carried funding to the tune of €115,000.

12 November 2020
Communications Department
Consell de Formentera