From Barren to Beautiful: The Story of La Junquera

Imagine standing in a place once silent and barren, now alive with the sounds of birds and thriving vegetation. La Junquera, a regenerative farm collaborative, has turned this vision into reality. Through innovative techniques like water retention ponds and holistic grazing, they are going beyond just restoring the land – they are restoring life. It is a pleasure to present these stories of Spain’s La Junquera Farm, an example of resilience in drylands.

Dry limestone gravel crunches under Silvia Quarta’s boots as she walks back uphill to the farm outbuildings located on a rocky hill in southern Spain’s Murcia region, one of the area’s most hard-hit by desertification. The dogs wrestle happily and stomp through the wetland plants surrounding the farm’s spring before realizing she has left and trot in a disorganized squad to follow her home.

Moreover, she is worried about the small spring she has just left behind. And because she worries about it, she also worries about La Junquera regenerative farm, where she manages a regenerative farming and education program. That worry extends to others downstream who rely on the surface and groundwater that they so desperately need in this semi-arid region.

Farmers like those tending La Junquera find it increasingly challenging to grow the crops that sustain so many people near and far. Crops have failed year after year. Wells are being dug deeper and deeper to tap the groundwater farms need. Many call this region the front line of climate change, and desertification isn’t an abstract concept; it’s part of the daily struggle to make a life and a living here.

The past four years have been changing radically, Quarta says. The usual rainfall pattern has been completely disrupted. The biggest challenge that this farm faces is that the water will be gone at some point.

Through their resilience and commitment, the people of La Junquera remind us that change is possible when we work together to restore life to the land.

Watch the video to witness how innovation, collaboration, and nature’s own power can transform arid landscapes into thriving ecosystems. Let this story inspire you to take action – for our Earth, our communities, and future generations. Thank you, EcoAgriculture. Together, we have brought this communication effort to the UNCCD COP 16 to highlight the importance of regenerating our Earth on the global agenda.

If you liked this content, we recommend you listen into “Community Development Through Ecosystem Learning“, “Revive Battery – Regenerating lead batteries for a energy recycling” or Regenerative Agriculture – From a Linear Vision to a Fractal Perspective.