My name is Santiaga. I'm a crop and livestock farmer in the region of Los Vélez (Almería). My fellow AlVelAl farmers have asked me to represent them here in the CrowdFarming community, so I'd like to tell you a little bit about us and my agro-regenerative life. In 2014, a few of us joined forces after realising the need to start a new type of farming in keeping with a sustainable agriculture model, for the good of our region and society. We're all crop and livestock farmers who have experienced the damage resulting from the industrial agriculture model. As a result, we decided to create the AlVelAl Association to breathe new life into our area through regenerative agriculture by restoring soils, harvesting water, fostering biodiversity and revitalising communities while we produce food. At first we were mostly producers with almond groves, olive groves, vineyards and integrated livestock farms from three regions of Almeria and Granada. But then farmers from the entire Altiplano region joined up, with all of us sharing the vision that together we can move towards the natural, social and economic regeneration of our territory. There were less than twenty producers and thirty-five members at the start, but now there are more than three hundred of us, of which two hundred are regenerative agriculture producers. Most of us work with almond trees, olives, vineyards, aromatic herbs, lambs and pistachios, all of which are crops that are perfectly suited to the characteristics of our ecosystem. Together, as crop and livestock farmers, we aspire to be a leading force in the change and restoration of our regions. Year after year we're gaining more visibility and we're seeing the profitability and benefits of this model. And we're sure that we'll continue to add more and more crop and livestock farmers to the AlVelAl regeneration movement. My role has always been to show others that things can be done differently, profitably, sustainably, all while improving our land. I'm a crop and livestock farmer by passion and family heritage, because ever since I was a child, my family has instilled in me the love, the value and the pride of this profession. My father instilled the love of animals in me, while the passion for agricultural traditions and the livestock world came from my mother and my grandmother, who sadly aren't with us anymore, but who continue to live in my heart and soul. Today, I grow almonds, cereals and vines, and I have a herd of Segureña sheep. What's more, I organise what I call 'Santiaga's Route' for visitors to the area, in which I showcase the agroforestry landscape and the agricultural traditions of the AlVelAl territory. I'm an inquisitive person in constant evolution and I strive to safeguard what my parents and my grandparents left me. I've always wanted to pass that legacy on to my children by leaving our land in a better state than in which we found it. Being able to share traditions and my knowledge with others is a dream for me, but also a debt to future generations.

The AlVelAl territory covers 1 million hectares, and is located in Southeastern Spain. It forms part of the Altiplano bioregion, a complete ecosystem in a stage of desertification and degradation. The name of the territory (and the Association) comes from the three districts that gave rise to the project: Altiplano de Granada, Los Vélez and Alto Almanzora, which were later joined by the Northwest of Murcia and the Guadix Region. The threats to the ecosystem stem from the impending desertification, and thus the associated erosion, drought and soil loss. This process is made worse by intensive industrial agriculture, which overexploits resources and aquifers, thereby eliminating much of the biodiversity and resources in our area. This problem leads to another, which is the loss of productive capacity and wealth, and then ultimately a third problem, which is depopulation and the so-called rural exodus. Therefore, the AlVelAl territory is home to one of the largest ecosystem restoration plans in Europe. This plan is spearheaded by the regenerative agriculture producers in the area, which through the association, cooperation and organic production, set out to restore the nature, society and economy of our region. The goal is to create what we call a mosaic ecosystem: a landscape composed of regenerative farms, where conservation and nature restoration go hand in hand with production, together with well-preserved nature parks. This means that we can create a natural barrier against desertification, in addition to forming a green corridor among the mountains in the area. You'll receive your box from our farms, which are the perfect representation of our desired ecosystem. Most of the crops are rain-fed, and they are predominantly cereals, almonds, pistachios, olives, vines and capers. We diversify production on our regenerative farms, transforming monoculture into mixed production schemes (various productive and non-productive species) which replicate the logic of an ecosystem that is productive on a small scale and, when combined with others, makes up a large-scale mosaic in the area. We integrate livestock farming through the traditional fusion of livestock and tree crops, guiding livestock neatly through the orchards to manage pastureland and achieve a natural and efficient fertilisation cycle. All the farms in the area share the same agricultural and environmental features: located between 600 and 1,400 metres above sea level, very little rainfall, high levels of sun exposure, and a significant diurnal temperature lag. The regenerative properties of the territory are easily identified by its colours, the sound of its insects, the abundance of birds and its soils full of life. The farms of AlVelAl producers are based on an organic production model (certified), but are currently converting to regenerative agriculture, so there are farms in different stages of the transformation towards the regenerative model. Our management style brings together practices aimed at soil regeneration and conservation by decreasing cultivation, enhancing plant cover, and even integrating livestock on some farms. We also foster the good use and catchment of water on the land, and we encourage further biodiversity, two techniques which are cornerstones of regenerative agriculture. Another key element is the diversification of production by mixing both productive and non-productive species in order to bridle monoculture, thereby fostering biodiversity. At the same time, specific habitat areas such as hedges or ponds are created. Meanwhile, water use is optimised and enhanced through water catchment structures on the land. This technique is based on 'infiltration lines', which stop erosion, harvest more water and redistribute it on the ground. What's more, as most of the farms are rain-fed, we rely on these practices to conserve water where it's most needed. The key elements of the regeneration of an entire territory are the farms where these techniques are developed, the creation of production cooperatives, and the people who stay, return or arrive as newcomers to work on the AlVelAl mission.