Retaining the tradition of agriculture

On Wednesday, the International Observatory of the Kitchen Garden was officially opened by the mayor, Raúl Valerio Medina along with  Rafael Villasante, representative of the Association of International Observatories of Mediterranean Kitchen Gardens .

The observatory, which is located in the old Municipal Slaughter house, houses the exhibition “Voices from Water”; produced by the municipalities involved in the project S.P.A.C.E.

Voices from the Water aims to promote historical and cultural patrimony. Bigastro participates in this via its traditional infrastructure for irrigation.

The municipal bank of traditional varieties of seeds is also is located in the observatory. This seed bank will prove to be an important resource for agriculturalists who want to retain the traditional flavours and qualities in their produce or who want to cross old and new varieties to improve the strain.

There are some who believe that the town should look forward rather than backwards. They believe that Bigastro should concentrate on new technology and industry rather than work on retaining its agricultural past.

In my opinion, there is room for both. Whilst it is important to harness new technology in Bigastro, it is equally important to maintain the agricultural basis that the town has grown up with. The death of the construction boom should be  a clear signal to all towns in Spain not to neglect their traditional economies in a bid to earn a fast buck.