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Paper short abstract:

his paper aims to highlight the differences between institutional and autochthonous initiatives to combat climate change using the case study of Almeria.

Paper long abstract:

October 2018 was marked by a funding concession from the EU EAFRS fund to the Observatory for agro-ecological innovation against climate change in the South of Spain. They are investigating the possibility of introducing crops that can stand higher saline and hydric stress like quínoa, amaranto and moringa, substituting the region's current crops, like tomato, pepper and cucumber, among others. However, they are not the only ones that have been concerned about Climate Change in the region. In Almeria, where the largest concentration of agricultural greenhouses of the world is located, local growers and residents have for years been wary of the dangerous effect of intensive mono-crop plantations to our climate, including: water scarcity, desertification, insect mutation and loss of endemic species. This paper will address the lack of sustainability of the intensive agriculture structure, and the limitations of the scarce research initiatives that propose palliative measures for the regions long term environmental problems. In contrast, it will expose the case of certain villages surrounding the industrial complex, like Almocita, who are welcoming local growers and residents who adopt whole system thinking to address pressing climate concerns. Adhering to degrowth networks, leasing land to CO2 capturing permaculture initiatives, developing municipal compost projects, communal allotments, collective farms and reforestation projects. Several formulas that are contributing to slow down climate change (in their small measure), but also shaping a new rural identity in which the old and neo-rural settlers are blindly shaping a new way being in response to the negligence of global policies.