EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF GLOBALLY IMPORTANT AGRICULTURAL HERITAGE SYSTEMS (GIAHS-SIPAM) IN AXARQUIA-MALAGA (7 MARCH 2024)

Following the VALSIPAM project, financed by the Interreg-Sudoe programme, in which the following Spanish SIPAMs took part:

- Salt production in Añana (Álava)
- Sultana cultivation in Axarquia (Málaga)
- Millenary olive trees in Territorio Sénia
- Historical irrigation in l'Horta de València (Spain)
and also another one in Barroso, Portugal

one of the most important results of the project was the establishment of the European SIPAM-GIAHS Association, open to all current and future European SIPAM (currently 10: 5 from Spain, 2 from Italy, 1 from Portugal, 1 from Austria and 1 from Andorra).

Now that all the previous formalities have been completed and in order to avoid further delay in the constitution of the association, the four Spanish SIPAM-GIAHS have become the founding members, but with the hope that the remaining European SIPAM-GIAHS will also join.

Having been from the beginning the coordinator of the project Valsipam, the SIPAM of the sultana in the Axarquia (Málaga), with the support of the Autonomic Government of Andalusia, agreed that the solemn act of signing the act of constitution and election of the Board of Directors of the EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF GLOBALLY IMPORTANT AGRICULTURAL HERITAGE SYSTEMS (GIAHS-SIPAM) will be held on 7 March 2024 in El Borge (Málaga), with the attendance of all the SIPAMs that have joined so far, being the signatories: 

• Fernando Fernández, for the SIPAM-GIAHS of the sultana cultivation in Axarquia (Málaga)
• Pablo de Oraá, for the SIPAM-GIAHS of the salt production in Añana (Álava)  
• Mª Teresa Adell, for the SIPAM-GIAHS of the millenary olive trees of the Sénia Territory  
• Miquel Jordà, for the SIPAM-GIAHS of the historical irrigation in l'Horta de València

  and the ceremony was chaired by the Director General of the Agricultural Production of Andalusia, Daniel Quesada together with the Mayor of El Borge, Raúl Vallejo.