Take care of the earth

Finca la Gloria turns out to be many things, all connected, and all somehow necessary for the intellectual symbiotic relationships that have naturally evolved from the minds of all those who have helped us come this far. Whether is yoga, non genetically modified seeds, watercolour painting, inquisitive seasonal gourmet cooking, or the life of worms within our soil, Finca la Gloria is aN intellectual container of many aspects of our lives, which viewed from a nonjudgemental distance gleam true to our unconscious mind.

We derive much inspiration from the precepts of permaculture lore, and as such its three fundamental pillars ring accordingly to our inner pulse: care for the earth, care for others, and share.

SUSTAINNABILITY

Sustainable agriculture is understood by us as a system of farming that strives to provide the resources necessary for present human populations while conserving the planet's ability to sustain future generations.

In the wake of World War II, the nature of agriculture both intensified, with more product harvested per unit area, and extensified, with farms taking up a larger area. Subsequently, fewer and larger farms were able to meet the food needs of an increasing human population, constituting a dramatic shift from the numerous smaller farms of the past. Despite its efficiency, modern industrial agriculture has a number of drawbacks, including the degradation of ecosystems and the related biodiversity loss of crop diversity, numerous animal welfare concerns, and human health risks. Sustainable agriculture seeks to address these issues and prioritizes our soil´s health, within the idea that the stability of the planet determines human well-being. Its basic tenets include promoting socioeconomic equity,, earning profit, and maintaining ecosystem health. Because modern agriculture has played a substantial role in precipitating a mass extinction of plant and animal species on Earth, sustainable agriculture actively endeavours to protect and support biodiversity.

HISTORY & THE AREA

Our Southern Andalusia area has been settled since prehistoric times, and some of the local caves have ancient rock paintings. Iberian people, Roman, Visigoths and Berbers , are some of the settlers before the Modern Era that left their print. It was precisely during Roman times that whitewashing was introduced, but it was later during the pandemic plague waves during 14th and later centuries when whitewashing exterior but also interior walls of houses and churches - the latter often visited by disease-affected inhabitants - became predominant. Our neighbour villages punctuate and are close to natural parks, including Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park that is listed as a biosphere reserve and is the highest rainfall area in Spain, or Los Alcornocales Natural Park with its cork oak protected landscape.

All of the nearby villages are characterised by whitewashed walls and red or brown tiled roofs. They also commonly present narrow alleyways, steep topography, lookouts, and town squares with a church and town hall. Often local institutions manage archeological museums with Roman or Arab artifacts, as well as others dedicated to local customs, crafts or trades.