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SPAIN 2025. B-roll: GIAHS Agricultural systems in jable and volcanic sands in Lanzarote Island

24 April 2025. Lanzarote Island, Spain. As part of FAO’s commitment to safeguarding Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS), known as SIPAM in Spanish, a field mission was carried out in Lanzarote, Canary Islands. The video highlights the island’s traditional farming practices, shaped over centuries by the resilience and innovation of local communities in the face of extreme climatic conditions. Through visual documentation and community engagement, the initiative underscores the cultural and ecological significance of these systems and their role in sustaining rural livelihoods. The collaboration between FAO, local authorities, and agricultural stakeholders reflects a shared vision to protect agricultural heritage and foster sustainable development in Lanzarote.

Language Spanish

Country Spain

Duration 10m43s

Edit Version International

Video Type B Roll Video

Date 05/16/2025

File size 1.47 GB

Unique ID UF19ZVN

Production details and shotlist

UNFAO Source FAO GIAHS

Shotlist SHOTLIST
STORY: SPAIN / LA GERIA AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPE B-ROLL
TRT: 10:43
SOURCE: FAO
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT FAO ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: SPANISH / NO NATS
LANZAROTE, SPAIN

1. Ground-level shot, single vine growing in a volcanic pit surrounded by black lapilli, with a lone palm tree, white houses, and volcanic slopes in the background

2. Ground-level shot, undulating black volcanic soil with rows of cultivation pits, interspersed with green vines and stone walls in the background

3. Ground-level shot, circular and semicircular dry-stone walls protecting vine plants, with volcanic mountains, scattered houses, and palm trees in the distance

4. Close-up shot, green vine growing inside a semicircular dry-stone wall surrounded by black volcanic gravel, with more protective enclosures in the background

5. Close-up shot, old vine with twisted branches growing inside a stone wall enclosure built against volcanic rock, showcasing traditional cultivation in harsh terrain

6. Wide shot, volcanic slope with scattered vegetation and rows of traditional vine pits at the base (chaboco), framed by black lapilli and green crops contrasting the arid terrain

7. Wide shot, terraced vineyard with curving dry-stone walls following the volcanic terrain, patches of green vegetation contrasting with the dark ash, and volcanic cones in the background

8. Close-up shot, grapevine sprouting bright green leaves directly from volcanic lapilli, isolated against the dark, fine-grained black ash background

9. Medium shot, lush green vines growing within a large semicircular dry-stone wall embedded in volcanic ash, emphasizing the contrast between fertility and aridity

10. Close-up shot, vibrant green vine leaves emerging from dark volcanic soil with a dry-stone wall softly blurred in the background

11. Close-up shot, farmer’s hands gently digging into volcanic gravel (lapilli) at the base of a leafy crop, illustrating the traditional use of rofe for moisture retention

12. Wide shot, extensive vineyard landscape with circular stone enclosures protecting young vines, volcanic mountains and palm trees in the distance under a lightly clouded sky

13. Ground-level shot, rows of onions growing in volcanic soil with drip irrigation lines, blurred white village and mountain slopes in the background

14. Ground-level shot, single green vine emerging from vast black volcanic ash, conveying resilience and contrast

15.Medium shot, neat rows of leafy crops growing in rofe-covered soil with drip irrigation, illustrating sustainable cultivation techniques in Lanzarote

16. Close-up shot, focus on rough volcanic stone wall in foreground with blurred green vine and black volcanic soil in background

17. Medium shot, single vine flourishing in the center of a wide volcanic pit, surrounded by layers of black lapilli

18. Wide shot, undulating volcanic terrain with sparse vegetation and distant dry-stone wall plots, showcasing the scale of traditional farming structures

19. Close-up shot, narrow line of jagged volcanic rocks arranged as a low wall cutting across fine black lapilli, emphasizing the tactile contrast between rough stone and smooth soil

20. Close-up shot, swirling golden white wine in a clear glass held by hand, capturing the fluid motion and sunlight reflections, symbolizing the refined outcome of volcanic viticulture

21. Medium shot, hands harvesting a ripe cluster of green grapes from beneath leafy vines, set against the dark volcanic soil, highlighting the manual care involved in the winemaking process

22. Medium shot, strawberry plants growing in orderly rows on black volcanic soil, with drip irrigation lines visible and blurred leaves framing the foreground

23. Close-up shot, ripe and unripe strawberries nestled among green leaves and black lapilli, with detail on the plant texture and drip irrigation tuve

24. Wide shot, expansive cultivated field with neat rows of various crops, black volcanic soil, and distant white buildings under a cloudy sky

25. Medium shot, vibrant corn plants growing in dark volcanic soil, aligned with drip irrigation lines, partially obscured by gently swaying leaves

26. Close-up shot, hand touching a large sweet potato from beneath volcanic gravel, surrounded by leafy vegetation and irrigation tubing

27. Medium shot, neat rows of strawberry plants arranged on volcanic lapilli, with tall grasses blowing in the wind on the right, adding motion to the static geometry of the field.

28. Wide shot, colorful vegetable rows including red and green lettuces growing in volcanic soil, with a dry-stone wall and the ocean in the background.

29. Close-up shot, cluster of ripe white grapes hanging from the vine, sharply focused with soft natural light highlighting the translucent skin and volcanic gravel blurred behind.

30. Low-angle medium shot, volcanic dry-stone wall with native green succulents growing at its base, set against a green slope and a soft sky in the background.

31. Medium close-up, person in denim overalls holding a bunch of fresh green basil in both hands, with soft natural light emphasizing the texture of the leaves.

32. Medium shot, woman in yellow shirt and overalls walking through a cultivated field with rows of green crops, village and mountains blurred in the background.

33. Wide shot, expansive volcanic landscape with sloping terrain and terraced farming plots on black lapilli, highlighting traditional land use under a blue sky.

34. Wide shot, sweeping view of semicircular stone enclosures on dark volcanic soil with sparse vines, hills and sky forming a serene backdrop.

35. Extreme wide shot, panoramic landscape with undulating black soil fields, a lone palm tree, a distant winery, and volcanic mountains under a clear sky.

36. Medium ground-level shot, fig trees with dense green foliage swaying gently in the wind, with volcanic slopes faintly visible in the background under a clear blue sky

37. Wide ground-level shot, semicircular dry-stone walls forming traditional vine shelters on black volcanic soil, with a large volcanic cone rising in the background

38. Close-up shot, young green grape cluster emerging from a vine, framed by textured volcanic stone and illuminated by soft natural sunlight filtering through the leaves

39. Close-up ground-level shot, vineyard worker wearing red gloves cleaning the hole, with volcanic gravel and sparse vegetation surrounding the work area

40. Medium shot, vineyard worker wearing a straw hat and red gloves bending over while working among volcanic stone walls in La Geria

41. Wide ground-level shot, semicircular stone enclosures protecting individual vines across dark volcanic terrain, with palm trees, scattered white houses, and volcanic cones in the background

42. Wide shot, panoramic view of La Geria’s patterned vineyards with a lone palm tree in the center, surrounded by volcanic hills and white rural buildings under a cloudy sky

43. Ground-level detail shot, traditional volcanic vineyard called chaboco, surrounded by low stone walls and dry vegetation

44. Close-up shot, new vine leaves sprouting from gnarled branches, with volcanic soil in soft focus in the background

45. Ground-level shot, rough black volcanic terrain in the foreground, leading to a steep volcanic cone in the distance under a cloudy sky

46. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Ascensión Robayna, a traditional viticulturist from La Geria: “And it is essential that FAO, a global entity, designates these ecosystems as GIAHS, because they safeguard knowledge that is necessary not only for those of us who live on this island—which it certainly is—but also as part of the vital knowledge needed at a time when food must be produced under increasingly extreme conditions. I would say it’s perfect. It has given us the ability to feed ourselves with almost no water. We must be deeply grateful to past generations, because they have left us the most precious of legacies. Any action we take with this legacy must involve observing that harmony with nature. Of course, we must continue preserving this legacy. We owe it to those who came before us.”

47. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Antonio Morales, an agroecological farmer from Tinajo:
“Well, in this field we see maize, maize—there’s the maize ear. We see maize; this part is removed so the maize can grow and then the cob appears. We have strawberries, lettuce, peppers, celery, leeks, watermelons, pumpkins, onions, zucchinis.”

48. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Tibisay Morales, an agroecological farmer from Tinajo:
“Well, in this field we see maize, maize—there’s the maize ear. We see maize; this part is removed so the maize can grow and then the cob appears. We have strawberries, lettuce, peppers, celery, leeks, watermelons, pumpkins, onions, zucchinis. I was born here, I live here, and I’ve always seen the farm taking shape. I feel very happy, very proud—above all, to be learning. I always push myself to learn from my colleagues, especially about traditions, to ask a lot of questions and to acquire all that knowledge. We have strawberries, and further down there are melons, watermelons, eggplants, pumpkins—there’s a bit of everything, everything you can consume at home, we have a little of it all here.”

49. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) María Guerra, an agroecological farmer from Tinajo:
“My name is María Guerra Martín, I’m 24 years old, I’m a farmer and I practice organic farming, here in Tinajo, in Lanzarote, and we’re here in El Jable with a sweet potato crop. I have a small plot using the “enarenado” method, which is the traditional technique here with volcanic ash. And here we are in a Jable plot, and in the Jable I mostly plant sweet potatoes, and in the enarenado as well, along with a bit of seasonal mixed vegetables. The mother is like the fertile soil underneath—it's as if it were clay. In the Jable, depending on the area, that fertile layer can be close to the surface or up to a meter and a half deep. For the past few years, it hasn’t rained enough, so it’s very dry. Here we have violet sweet potatoes, and further back we have potatoes, Cuban sweet potatoes, a few “yema huevo” sweet potatoes we were planting just now, and in the enarenado we also have a bit of everything—mixed vegetables. Some for personal consumption, some for sale as well. Well, for me this is very normal—it’s the most normal thing in the world, but when you go outside of here, you see that it’s completely different from the farming systems in other parts of the world. It’s a system that takes great care of water resources, and it's highly adapted to extreme conditions. And seeing how the world is going—with less rain, more heat, and all that— maybe people could take note and apply at least part of it elsewhere. To me, it’s kind of like a small miracle, what you see here. Because I find it fascinating to see everything like this, especially the enarenados, which look like nothing—no irrigation, no support— and suddenly you plant crops and they grow beautifully. It’s fascinating, the systems our ancestors came up with to survive, in the end. They did it so they could find a way to produce food, right?”

50. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Cazorla, technician from the Lanzarote Island Council’s Biosphere Reserve:
“Even though this is an apparently desert-like island, we’re very close to Africa—about 100 kilometers from the African continent— we have extremely rich biodiversity. When it comes to flora, for example, we're talking about more than 700 different species of wild plants. This is a volcanic island that has had recent eruptions. We’re talking about eruptions from the years 1730 to 1736, which was nearly 300 years ago, and we’ve basically spent these last 200 years dealing with the consequences of those eruptions. Those eruptions—if we talk about 200 years ago—we can say that our great-grandparents or great-great-grandparents may have witnessed them. They were the ones who had to adapt to those volcanic eruptions. Thanks to the eruptions—though in the beginning it was a disaster, because there was volcanic ash and lava flows that buried all the cereal crops that had been cultivated before— lands that had been very productive for cereal farming were completely buried under ash and lava flows. The farmer—the Lanzarote farmer— had to adapt to the fact that this was now the new resource, this was now the soil, it was part of the island’s topography, and farming had to go on. Now, after scientific studies, we know that it wasn’t just the humidity that the ash contributed, but also minerals—minerals that the old cereal-farming soils lacked. So now, we’re not only contributing moisture but also minerals, which together provide the perfect environment for plant development. That was, in a way, the start of a small agricultural revolution. These agricultural systems of Lanzarote— we probably only scientifically understand about 50% of what’s actually happening. So, if we recognize the island as one of the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems, it will help ensure that the rest of the scientific knowledge can continue to grow, and we can keep discovering things that could potentially become a source of hope in the face of the climate crisis we are living through.”

Script As part of FAO’s commitment to safeguarding Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS), known as SIPAM in Spanish, a field mission was carried out in Lanzarote, Canary Islands. The video highlights the island’s traditional farming practices, shaped over centuries by the resilience and innovation of local communities in the face of extreme climatic conditions. Through visual documentation and community engagement, the initiative underscores the cultural and ecological significance of these systems and their role in sustaining rural livelihoods. The collaboration between FAO, local authorities, and agricultural stakeholders reflects a shared vision to protect agricultural heritage and foster sustainable development in Lanzarote.

Videographer David Hernández - Studio ERA

Library

FAO OCC

Video Team

FAO Video 2023 / 2024 / 2025

FAO Field Projects

By Country - FAO Field Projects

Spain

2025_GIAHS_Lanzarote Island_B-Roll

SPAIN 2025. B-roll: GIAHS Agricultural systems in jable and volcanic sands in Lanzarote Island

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