From mid-March to mid-April, Palma del Río is celebrating Orange Month, promoting this fruit, a key product for the economy in the area, especially among the youth.
"Orange Month has been celebrated for 13 years now. The initiative is backed by the Palma del Río City Council, Palmanaranja, GDR Medio Guadalquivir, EMPA and Asociación Palmaecológica. Over several weeks, we organize various promotional activities for a product that has been driving the local economy of Palma del Río for many years," says María Reyes, technician at Asociación Palmaecológica.
"Our activities include talks to third-grade students from all schools in the municipality, where the children are told about the history of orange cultivation in Palma del Río, which started with the Cadenera variety. Above all, we want to convey that being an agricultural producer is a brave profession, and that in the Guadalquivir Valley, our growers, many of whom are parents, grandparents or relatives of these children, devote their heart and soul to nurturing the oranges to make sure they are the best in the world."
"Children can potentially keep the citrus sector in Palma del Río alive in the future," says María, highlighting the importance of generational replacement in agriculture, and particularly in citrus cultivation. It's worth noting that Andalusia has 90,000 hectares of citrus fruits planted, and almost 39,500 of those are located in the Guadalquivir Valley, where about 3,800 hectares are devoted to organic production.
It's worth recalling that producers under the age of 40 are in charge of only 11% of the agricultural holdings in the European Union, and of these, only 3% are young women, according to data from the European Commission. Therefore, convincing young people to work in agriculture is a significant challenge; even more so in rural areas, since about 84% of the Spanish territory consists of rural areas, but only 16% of the population lives there.
"On April 8, a group of students from the Intermediate Vocational Training degree in Agroecological Production will visit our test fields in the Guadalquivir Valley to learn about all the studies being carried out there and the innovations being developed to improve the sustainability and profitability of citrus farming in the area."
"Promoting consumption is also important," says María. "This month, tastings will be offered in schools and there will be a Tapas Fair, where there will be tastings of dishes made with oranges. The Orange Month activities will come to a close with the 2nd Citrus Innovation Forum on April 16 and 17, organized by the Professional Association Palmanaranja and GDR Medio Guadalquivir, where AI-based innovations, drone technology and new specific solutions for citrus cultivation will be showcased."
This year, the orange campaign in Andalusia is proving to be more difficult than usual. "We are seeing a drop in the production due to the predicted water scarcity. But we all know that droughts are cyclical and we hope this cycle will pass soon."
"Our job, as always, will be to make children and adults appreciate the value of oranges, stressing that the local product is the best one they can consume."
Check here to see the activities that will be organized in the coming weeks in Palma del Río.
For more information:
Palmaecológica
asociacionpalmaecologica@yahoo.es
https://www.facebook.com/palmaecologica