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Paper short abstract:

Focusing on cases of Sicily and the Canary Islands, both under the Crown of Spanish kings in the Early Modern Period, this paper highlights the role water played in shaping those societies, but also the extraordinary techniques and methods developed to face water stress for plant growth.

Paper long abstract:

My proposal will address topics generally forgotten of academia's main fora. But there are few regions where water is as precious as on the islands, due to their difficulty in retaining water. Thus, focusing on cases of Sicily and the Canary Islands, both under the Crown of Spanish kings in the Early Modern Period, this paper highlights the role water played in shaping those societies, but also the extraordinary techniques and methods developed to face water stress for plant growth.

Islands are environments in which it is difficult to retain water. Moreover, their volcanic nature resorts in increased difficulty to find productive land. Water stress affects land property and rights over the distribution of water as well as constraints plant growth and everyday life religious and symbolic practices.

The unique system of building semi-circular low walls around each vine to protect them from the wind and create humidity turn famous the vineyards in La Geria, Lanzarote in the Canary Islands and in Pico, Azores. On Pantelleria, a Sicilian Island, circular stone walls protect trees from winds and capture the night fog and dew, to create sufficient humidity for the growth of this botanical species.

The property of land, the hydraulic systems and their regulation, the distribution of water, and the horticultural methods developed demonstrate the effort and expertise put to face a water stress environment. These are just some of the cases that demonstrate that in adverse environments, ingenious solutions have come up throughout history, which can enlighten the relationship between the garden produce, the water availability, the environment and the solutions found to circumvent problems regarding water scarcity, being able to transform an adverse environment into a productive one. This research builds on the AQUA project, that I coordinated between 2018 and 2022.