BY ED ANDERSON
With national elections and political drama in Spain it may be easy for rural issues to get pushed to the edges of the national debate but as luck would have it, (what we are christening) the Great Sheep Run from Trashumancia Foundation will be taking place on 25th October in the heart of Madrid. From not existing 33 years ago before naturalist Jesús Garzón kicked off the event, to now a highlight of Madrid’s cultural calendar, hundreds of sheep and goats from across Spain will be making their way past some of Madrid’s most iconic landmarks. Still, as Lawrence Sudlow of Trashumancia Foundation explains, this is about far more than just a day out:
It´s a great platform where thousands of people are on the street. But one of the big problems we’ve got is that it is not that ‘sexy’ to be a farmer, a lot of young people are not going there. One stat I heard is that only 3.5% of shepherds here are under 35 so that’s practically zero.”
As we noted in are previous article on Spain’s wildfire disaster, the hollowing out of rural economic life has increasingly shunted Spain’s next generation into unaffordable cities and Spain’s birth rate collapse is a clear symbol this is a failing model. But could crisis be turned into rejuvenation?
As Spain has seen, wildfire disasters bring enormous economic and social cost but effective rural management is one of the best ways to mitigate these risks. Lawrence notes:
It’s crucial because there used to be a lot of people living in the countryside and working in the countryside. That meant there was a huge amount of work going on in Spain to keep material that is easy to burn in check. That’s why we need to change the way we look at livestock because livestock brings things that historically they have always done for free. Maybe we should be paying for that.”
As we learn from Lawrence, it’s an idea which some Spain’s most rural regions have decided is a pretty decent investment:
Particularly when it comes to wildfires we are now already seeing regions in Spain paying shepherds to go to areas and provide that protection. Maybe that flock wouldn’t go but because they are going to be paid, they go there.”
Recent projects in Madrid have included Cooperativa Los Apisquillos being paid for nearly a decade to keep the sprawling Casa de Campo of Madrid in check. Millions of euros’ worth of damage prevented by some sheep seems an absolute bargain.
Of course events like this are only possible thanks to the work of volunteers but also Spain’s 125,000km of protected paths for herding (drove roads) which, as Lawrence informs us, are now gaining even more protection:
The community of Madrid is now declaring the ones in their area as assets of cultural interest. Protection is good, but we’ve got to turn that into something more economic, something more tangible so that young people will say that’s an option for me.”
For many of Madrid’s urban dwellers and especially its younger generations, this could be the only interaction with rural life they have all year. Hopefully with the Great Sheep Run, the next generation can be inspired (and with new economic incentives can afford) to get back into the countryside.
Photos used with the permission of Trashumancia Foundation.
Edward Anderson is currently living in Madrid covering Spanish life /politics and can be found online @MetinMadrid on Twitter or https://metinmadrid.com/