Agrarian Sector Focuses on Third Sectoral Workshop for the Development of the Public Policy Plan for Land Stewardship

Around 50 representatives from public administrations, land stewardship entities, agrarian organizations, cooperatives, research centers and companies participated in the workshop dedicated to land stewardship in the agrarian sector. The event was organized as part of the LIFE Stewardship project. This is the third sectoral workshop, following those held on land stewardship in fluvial and forestry sectors, within the participatory process for developing a Public Policy Plan for Land Stewardship, one of the strategic products of the project. 

The meeting, organized by SEO/BirdLife, a project partner, aimed to consolidate a space for dialogue and collaboration to analyse the role of land stewardship in a sector marked by profound environmental, economic, and social changes. In this context, the main challenges and opportunities offered by this tool were addressed, particularly in response to issues such as biodiversity loss, climate change, economic pressure on farms, and the lack of generational renewal. 

Among the specific objectives sought were the characterization of the current state of agrarian stewardship (territorial distribution, involved actors, types of agreements), knowledge of reference experiences, identification of challenges and opportunities for strengthening agrarian stewardship, and the creation of a body of recommendations to advance toward a more robust institutional framework. 

AGRARIAN STEWARDSHIP: AN EXPANDING FIELD WITH GREAT POTENTIAL 

The agrarian sector is one of the most relevant and, at the same time, complex pillars of the land stewardship movement in Spain. Agreements located in crops and pasturelands together represent around 40% of all land stewardship agreements in Spain, highlighting their growing importance. Most of these agreements, approximately 1,410, are on private lands. 

Their significance also stems from the decisive role these systems play in biodiversity conservation, the provision of ecosystem services, ecological connectivity, and territorial resilience. Thus, these agreements are at the intersection of conservation and production, requiring collaborative governance based on trust, dialogue, and recognition of traditional knowledge and practices in the territory. 

The main limiting factor for the growth of agrarian stewardship is not the availability of farms or the willingness of landowners, but the operational capacity of stewardship entities, which is currently insufficient to meet potential demand and extend the benefits of these agreements on a larger scale. 

The current state of land stewardship in the agrarian sector shows a scenario of consolidated experiences, a broad social and territorial base, and increasing institutional recognition. However, challenges remain, including limited resources for stewardship entities, the need for regulatory frameworks and stable economic incentives, the lack of widespread regional registries, and indicators for impact evaluation. 

PROGRESS AND CHALLENGES 

The workshop highlighted innovative experiences such as the LIFE project coordinated by SEO/BirdLife, "Olivares Vivos," and the work of Fundación Global Nature on extensive grazing, which demonstrate environmental, economic, and social benefits contributing to agroecological transition and rural revitalization. 

Among the conclusions, there was also agreement on the need for models that allow work at the landscape scale, incorporate land stewardship into the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) instruments, develop monitoring and verification systems, and strengthen strategic communication to bring this approach closer to the agrarian sector. 

LIFE STEWARDSHIP  

The overall aim of the LIFE Stewardship project is to use land stewardship-based approaches to boost collaboration involving public and private entities as well as civil society for nature conservation and restoration in Spain, in the framework of the Europe Biodiversity Strategy 2030 and international agreements. 

The project is coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Spanish Ministry of Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, with the participation of Eurosite, the Forum of Land Stewardship Networks and Entities (FRECT), Global Nature Foundation (FGN), Fernando González Bernáldez/ Europarc-Spain Foundation, SEO/BirdLife and Nature Conservation Network (XCN) as partners. It has the financial contribution of the LIFE Programme of the European Union.