My name is Antonio Tineo. Since 2009 I have been working at Finca El Conde as the manager of agricultural activities. I came to the farm as a tractor driver, transferring boxes of oranges to the loading point. From there, the owners appreciated my motivation for field activity and decided to hire me as a manager. I am from San Martín del Tesorillo, a small town in the province of Cádiz, and have always been dedicated to livestock and citrus fruit cultivation. Avocados are more recently being introduced, since our region is very suited to this crop, thanks to the local climate and the availability of water. For me agriculture is a vocation that I inherited from my parents and grandparents. I have dedicated myself to this activity which I have loved since I was a child: you get to disconnect from the world and be part of nature. For me this is happiness. Today's agriculture has very little to do with what I knew as a child, which I learnt from the hands of my grandfather and father. Agricultural technicians provide a lot of help by knowing the needs of each crop and advising their best management. In addition, motorisation helps us to be less dependent on physical work. As a child, I worked helping my grandfather, and continue to do so today. I understand the cultivation of oranges well, because many citrus fruits are grown in this part of Andalusia, and I worked on other farms before. My daily routine begins very early. Always at dawn to avoid the hottest hours, I review the schedule of tasks that we prepare at the beginning of each quarter with the technicians. From there I delegate work to my colleagues and according to the requirements of the daily tasks, I encourage them to focus to a greater or lesser extent on their development. We are a transversal team which works together: in the clearing season, we all clear, when it is time to harvest, we all harvest, etc. In the afternoons I continue my activities, but on my own land, among the orange trees, avocadoes and my family's horses.

The La Finca El Conde project is a way of understanding agriculture, which moves away from the traditional canons of overexploitation of natural resources. This farm, located in the vicinity of Casares, on the border with the province of Cádiz, is home to two very characteristic activities of the region: the cultivation of citrus fruits and the breeding of livestock. Proof of this are the stables that still exist in the farmhouse, where one of the most famous breeds of studs in southern Andalusia has been bred for years, and which continues to graze on the farm today. Citrus fruits are the result of an area of special characteristics, notably the abundance of water and hot temperatures, but with strong contrasts. This abundance of water is possible thanks to the very special location of the farm, very close to what is one of the rainiest areas in Spain. Here it is easy to get lost while traveling the roads and highways, and the lushness of the meadows and forests can trick us into believing that we are traveling through Alpine, Pyrenean or Asturian valleys. This wealth of water creates an environment of special importance due to its ecological, landscape and potential agricultural and livestock value. While on the farm you can take stock of its richness through the banks of the exuberant riverside vegetation of the Guadiaro and Genal rivers, and the holm oaks that grow within the plot. This large amount of water also makes avocado cultivation a viable option alongside citrus fruits, thus diversifying agricultural activity. Nearby you can find places of great beauty such as the town of Casares. Made up of white houses surrounding a cliff edge, it allows one to contemplate the African mountains and the entire coast of the Strait of Gibraltar. This is an area in which agriculture and livestock work together with tourism, through activities that occur in natural spaces of tradition and adventure. For example, it is famous for hiking and its horse riding or mountain biking routes, attracting thousands of people every year who want to enjoy a warm environment surrounded by nature at the edge of the Mediterranean. As we already mentioned, we have a stud farm on our land which since 1990, has been working with purebred Spanish horses. This peculiarity is common of many farms in the area, where livestock activity is combined with agriculture. Yeguada El Conde is very well known as being home to beautiful horses that have won awards in a number of competitions. We find that being surrounded by beautiful horses makes it an idyllic place to work. Horses contribute to our organic farming practices, which in a controlled way help us to reduce weeds, while providing natural organic nutrients to our trees. The water on our farm comes from a very large well, which we only use during the summer, as rain provides the necessary water for the rest of the year. We are a team of 6 professionals, who run every activity related to the farm's management and harvest. I am in charge of organising and directing operations, but at El Conde we all know how to do everything, and throughout the year we support each other to achieve a sustainable and profitable production. Working on the farm gives us economic stability that is difficult to achieve in the area, and the opportunity to be a part of a project that is committed to people. At El Conde every employee has fair working conditions in accordance with our collective agreement, but above all I appreciate the value that the owners bring and the dedication that they show to the business, making us feel proud of our work here. The quality of our products is in the flavour, 100% natural and free of chemicals. For this reason, in your box you will receive fruits which may not be the most beautiful, but are all the more tasty and rich. We do not follow the quality standards of supermarkets, which discard a large part of produce for aesthetic reasons, and what we do not distribute because of our quality standards, we use for composting or as food for the farm's horses.