Across the country, farmers facing the gap between what producers earn and what consumers pay have begun sponsoring trees as a way to bring the farm-to-market process closer to urban communities and counter rural decline. The idea spreads from region to region, and this new model, aimed at reducing intermediary influence, has seen olive, orange, and almond trees sponsored in multiple locales.
The movement originates with farming families and rural communities who know the challenges the countryside currently faces and fear a dim future. These producers have chosen to sponsor their trees to illuminate the sector’s path forward.
Around a few years ago, early pilot projects emerged with notable success. To tackle the population decline problem, a sponsorship initiative began in Oliete (Teruel) and has saved roughly 15,000 olive trees to date. Leaders of the project emphasize that population preservation in rural areas is possible when initiatives promote agricultural work and strengthen the connection between urban consumers and the environment.
How can someone sponsor a tree? The process allows a person to select an olive tree online and decide whether to sponsor it for personal use or as a gift for someone else. After sponsorship, the sponsor can purchase the oil produced by that tree for delivery to their home once the harvest is complete.
A sponsored tree project in Teruel has become a symbol of protecting both the local population and crops in rural areas, while also partnering with social organizations to assist groups at risk of social exclusion, according to statements given to Efeagro.
For its founder, this approach demonstrates that population preservation is achievable in rural regions, especially when it supports agricultural work and fosters a closer urban-rural relationship with the land.
Almonds: a crop with a home
Another example unfolds in the Sierra de Irta near the Mediterranean coast, where the almond trees of Eulogio Pascual invite visitors to witness the beauty of his fields. His relative, José Manuel Escuder, helped launch the almond tree adoption website, explaining the aim of involving consumers more deeply in the production cycle so they know when to harvest and can experience a product that goes from tree to home. The concept emphasizes the value of listening to the land and the people who tend it.
Under this model, consumers fund the maintenance of the tree and, in return, receive the harvested almonds when they are ready. It is a direct link from field to table, built on trust and transparency.
Valencia oranges seeking sponsors
Another family initiative emerged just before two brothers left the Valencian Community, where they own trees bearing oranges and tangerines across separate areas. In les Coves de Vinromà, varieties such as Navel Fukumoto, Lane Late, Clemenules, and Afourer mandarins are grown, while in Vinaròs, Washington Navels and other mandarins are produced.
The sponsorship costs about 70 euros per year. That fee allows sponsors to oversee and learn about the project’s progress through an digital calendar, as explained by A. María Andreu Barro to Efeagro. If a tree encounters setbacks during sponsorship, the sponsor is offered an annual harvest from the existing trees until the newly planted one produces. This model gives consumers a chance to see the work behind their food and to enjoy fresh produce, reducing reliance on longer, more transactional supply chains.
People who support the survival of family farming and the social fabric through olive, orange, or almond trees help sustain rural economies and communities.
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