Llorenç Payeras Capellà (Inca, 1961) comes from’an industrial family from the capital of Raiguer. Shoes have been part of their lives for generations. But the countryside was what attracted him. So he has always maintained a relationship with the countryside, n’has been his passion and always has been’has been linked to it in one way or another. Payeras has also stood out for his work in disseminating proposals or facts related to the Mallorcan countryside. Native breeds, trees or other aspects of the countryside have been reflected in some of the publications he has shared with Jaume Falconer.
Llorença Payeras is one of the pillars of the work of Varietats Locals, in this case she has worked on the entire project that we have promoted from our entity with the’study of the forage crops of Mallorca. That is why n’We wanted to talk to him.
We know you come from’an industrial family, but how did you enter this world of farming?
It's almost a vocational thing. My family came from the industrial world, both on my mother's and father's side. They were all shoemakers, for generations. But we also had a farm, and there was always a relationship with the rural world.
Until I was 14, I had never really been on the farm continuously, but now I live there. Contact with nature, animals, plants… that has always attracted me a lot. It was a natural passion. From a young age, I started training in this field, and I have always dedicated myself to it, in one way or another. Especially, in matters of training and dissemination.
You have worked a lot on the recovery and transmission of popular knowledge. How did this chimera come about?
When you love this world and look at what we have, you realize that there was great wealth here, but that it was being lost. Modernization, social and life changes have meant that a lot of knowledge has been left behind. Not only biological knowledge, but cultural knowledge: how something was assembled, how a plant or an animal was used...
I realized that the oral transmission had been interrupted, and I saw that something had to be done. Not to highlight myself, but because I had received very valuable information, and I felt the duty to transmit it. It is like a vital commitment: to leave a record of what I have been able to learn and experience, because if we do not transmit it, it is lost.
You did it voluntarily.laugh?
Yes, I do everything selflessly. I dedicate many hours to it, and it often leaves me with more money than I earn. But I do it because I enjoy it. Talking about these topics, visiting places, seeing the plants… already makes me happy. It is not a job with a profit motive, but a deep vocation.
And within this specific project that has been launched by’Local Varieties Association on d’study of forages in Mallorca, what exactly did you do there?
Mainly, to identify and study the local species and varieties that have been used as forage, and see which ones may have a current or future utility, especially in the context of environmental change.
Some of these plants have been traditionally used as fodder, others not so much, but they have potential. The aim is to recover this diversity because in the future they could be useful — not just at the present moment.
Could you give us some examples of’these plants?
Yes, there are many. For example, to mention them one by one.
For what reason is’they have left’use these varieties?
There are several reasons. The first could be the adaptation to modern machinery; some plants are not easy to cultivate or harvest with current machinery. Then we have to think that they are of discreet production; for example lentils, give little yield compared to other crops. There is also convenience; people buy what is available at the cooperative or in the warehouse. If a local seed is not easy to obtain, people do not make the effort. Cultural change could be another factor, many people do not know what these plants are. The 90% of the Mallorcans do not know what a chalk is, for example. And finally, and linked to the latter, the demographic and food change. The population has changed a lot. There is no longer the same interest in broad beans, traditional cuisines... There is a clear loss of food identity.
But... is there a future for these varieties?
Yes, but work needs to be done. It is important to have seed availability and to disseminate knowledge. If we do not know what these plants are or how they were used, it is difficult for them to recover. In addition, with climate change and the lack of water, perhaps these local varieties, adapted to our environment, will once again play a fundamental role. They have a resilience that other crops do not have.
Are you satisfied with the work done?
Yes. Being able to organize all this information, collect seeds, multiply, do historical research and characterization… all of this gives me a lot of satisfaction. We have been able to update knowledge about these varieties and save many that were on the verge of disappearing.
This interview shows the importance of preserving traditional knowledge about local varieties, both for cultural reasons and to prepare us for future agricultural and climatic challenges. The work of people like Llorenç Payeras Capellà is essential to preserve this living heritage.
