Apart from providing us with fresh produce, farmers conserve the countryside through proper upkeep such as the maintaining of rubble walls. Making farming an economically-feasible activity is crucial and it is the relevant authorities, together with farmers themselves, that are responsible to enhance fiscal income through diversification. Agritourism is a case in point.
Other forms of income include the selling of produce both directly (mainly delicatessen) and through incorporating catering facilities where main ingredients include produce grown at source.
Activities such as cycling and horse riding can be incorporated too.
The latter provide the ideal location for the setting up of agro visitors’ centres due to their vicinity to hotels in Buġibba and Qawra. Both sectors can benefit from one another through coordinated activities like walks and cycling tours from hotels to agro-centres.
These types of activities are definitely more than appreciated by visitors to our island, particularly during winter when swimming and beach activities are out of season.
The existing salt pans found in the same locality can also be incorporated in such projects and visits can easily be included in the tours.
Encroachment into ODZ is facilitated on the excuse of agritourism and other agriculture use
Authorities such as the St Paul’s Bay local council have an important role to play and can be instrumental in getting all stakeholders together.
Contrary to the rhetoric on sustainability and land-use by politicians from both mainstream parties, consecutive governments never tackled the issue of unused buildings, including those in rural areas.
Instead of promoting agri- and eco-tourism through incentives promoting the restoration of such rural abandoned buildings, such activities are used as an excuse for construction on virgin land.
Mepa’s rural policy and design guidance 2014 is a case in point where encroachment into ODZ is facilitated on the excuse of agritourism and other agriculture use while existing unused buildings in ODZ are either left to rot or, worse, given the green light to change use from agriculture to something else, including a supermarket.
Such buildings lying idle include a depleted hotel at Golden Bay and the former pig farm in Comino. The last time I was in Comino I was shocked by this eyesore. While, in the first place, such a development should have never taken place on such an ecologically-sensitive place, something should be done to address the situation. Ideally, the place should be demolished and the area restored to its original natural state or, at least, incorporated in an eco-tourism project.
I strongly believe it is about time a proper survey is conducted on all the vacant rural structures existing. A scheme can then be launched incorporating initiatives, fiscal and otherwise, also by tapping funds from the EU.
Sadly enough, this vision is lacking and, instead, we come across news of new development and proposed buildings in ODZ, including an agritourism project at Munxar on pristine land.
To add insult to injury, the government finds all the energy to justify construction on ODZ land (such as the case of the so-called American University) but then is lethargic when it comes to such rehabilitation projects. Definitely a case of resource utilisation at its best.
Simon Galea is Alternattiva Demokratika’s spokesman for agriculture and animal rights