Ana, better known as Anita la Cortijera, is the fourth generation of a family of farmers dedicated to the regenerative cultivation of the olive tree since they “fell” on the lands of Cantarranas, a small village in Basteta with less than 50 inhabitants.
She is a strong defender of the rural world and her family roots. She is also one of the last warriors in the ’emptied Spain’. And it is that, since she has taken over from her grandfather Antonio’s work in the olive grove, there is no one to stop her. It is clear to him that his future lies in living in a farmhouse and to continue his family’s production of organic olive oil.
It is not an easy target. Anita shares her day to day life as a young farmer on her social profiles to bring the regenerative agriculture to her followers. Maintaining a vegetative cover in the olive grove or fertilizing it with organic manure are some of the tasks carried out to revitalize the soil. With regard to water, one of the fundamental pillars of regenerative crops, Anita promotes rainfed agriculture. And, in addition to housing beehives on his farm, he has also integrated regenerative livestock farming of native goats, which increases biodiversity.
“Being a farmer is a job that doesn’t give you a break and that, moreover, is increasingly undervalued.” As she herself claims, the best way to support these local producers is by buying their harvest directly, without intermediaries.
Leer menos