The Green Basket of Casas Blancas, Spain

“In the past, there was a school with 40 forty children in Casas Blancas, now there are just old people living here”. This is one of the reasons why Susana Romero began her project of ecological farming in Casas Blancas, Murcia (Southeast of Spain). 

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She worked for several years for the Chamber of Commerce of Murcia, living abroad in South Africa, Kenya, Cuba… and travelling to a lot to other countries she was sent. Those experiences gave her the opportunity to get in touch with other ways of life and different ways of thinking. The result of adding this knowledge to her worries and likes “Consumption, recycling, integration, sharing, learning…” was the beginning of that project in 2009.

The help received when starting the project was an irrigated farm of 90.000 square meters with lemon and orange groves for export belonging to her grandfather, and three properties for rental. In 2010 the organic allotment start to produce for family consumption, and in 2012 it got the official Organic Certification.

The green basket sells organic vegetables, including the delivering to the client, and Susana says “We follow natural and organic farming methods in our farm, as my grandfather used to do in the old days. Only organic fertilizer and compost is used in our production. Therefore, our organically grown vegetables & fruits are nutritious, flavor and full of taste, although they may not look as colourful and well presented as commercial produce. However, they are better for us, and our children, as well as for our animals, wildlife and the environment as a whole”. Also, some workshops are taking place frequently there: cooking, recycling, language exchanges… And visits from schools can be arranged too.

The main obstacles faced in the process were learnt how to cultivate, and change people mind about food, to consider ecological as the best option. Another interesting point is that is not easy to take holidays as the farm needs constant cares.

Plans for the future? Bioconstructing and rural houses to provide green tourists the opportunity of waking up every day surrounded by the farm.

The most important thing she has learned from starting her own company is that that being your own boss, what you get comes directly from your efforts, so that leads you to work harder than ever. But it doesn´t matter if you like what you are doing!!