Field Notes: Ibiza
An unexpected hotspot for regenerative agriculture
When I said I was going to Ibiza for work, I was met with A LOT of skeptical glances.
Ibiza is infamous for its party culture. It’s a magnet for the rich and famous, host to the worlds most famous DJs, and a buffet of crazy parties with tens of thousands of people.
While this is 100% what the southern part of the island is all about, the interior and north are actually full of farms, entrepreneurs, and hippies who have made the island their home and stay far away from the party culture — similar to how NYers avoid Times Square like the plague.
Ibiza first came on my radar as a hub for regenerative agriculture when I heard this podcast about Juntos Farm on the Investing in Regenerative Agriculture podcast.
This planted a seed that’s been calling like a siren ever since.
ICYMI, one of the projects I am working on is Top 50 Farmers, which is scaling regenerative agriculture in Europe by highlighting the farmer role models who are leading the way.
As part of our work, we are building up a network of farmer organizations across Europe. Consequently, wherever I travel I am looking to connect with local organizations that serve as key nodes in their local ecosystem.
PS: If this sounds like you, send me an email back. I’d love to chat!
One of the most interesting things I learned in my travels is that while Ibiza has a long history of subsistence farming and fishing, only 4% of the food consumed on the island is produced locally, and just 14% of those local foods have any form of organic or ecological certification or process.
There is a lot of green washing done by big resorts and hotels who claim to source sustainability, but in reality aren’t sourcing responsibly or investing in the local island infrastructure (a tourism and development story that rings true in many places around the world).
To counteract this is a growing movement of young farmers from around the world who have made Ibiza home.
To give you a glimpse at what’s unfolding, I put together my travel notes, which includes my research on where to stay, what to eat, and some hidden gems to visit as well as a variety of amazing farm initiatives to visit.
If you haven’t already, you can read more about my travel style and philosophy here to see if it’s a match for you.
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Enjoy! And please let me know what you visit!