Good Practice - Project
Harimaguadas project – LEADER funds for social farming provide domestic violence recovery services
A LEADER social farming project in Spain’s outermost regions helps victims of domestic violence.
General information
RDP Priority
- P6. Social inclusion and local development
RDP Focus Area
- 6B: Local development
RDP Measure
- M19: LEADER/CLLD
Beneficiary type
- Farmer / land manager
Summary
All genders and ages are affected by domestic violence. The highest incidences of such mistreatment are often reported against women and children. For rural and island communities, inherent isolation features can intensify the dynamics of domestic violence. Limited access to resources such as income, shelters, legal aid and counselling can hinder victims from seeking help or escaping abusive situations. Also, island and rural populations are commonly small, creating an environment where victims may feel more trapped by social stigma or fear of retaliation within close-knit communities.
To help address these challenges, EU support from LEADER was effectively utilised in a community-led approach on Spain’s Canary Islands by the Harimaguadas Project. It harnessed farming as a calming context to provide respite and therapeutic protection for female victims of domestic violence and children. The project’s family farm location also offers other social services promoting gender equality, culinary expertise and traditional cultural rituals.
Results
- Project results supported women and children on the seven Canary Islands of Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, La Gomera, La Palma, Lanzarote and Tenerife.
- The social farming project helped 19 women during its six months of operation.
- It strengthened support networks for women and children in need in the outermost regions of rural Europe.
- The positive outcomes for participants who engaged in agricultural practices on the project helped enhance their skill sets, gain confidence and acquire valuable competencies that could improve their employability and/or self-sufficiency.
Promoter
La Jaira De Ana
Funding
Total project cost: 362 000 (EUR)
RDP support: 30 000 (EUR)
National/Regional: 222 000 (EUR)
Private/own: 40 000 (EUR)
Other: 70 000 (EUR)
Ressourcen
Links
Context
Victims of domestic violence are of all genders and ages. Abuse exists in different forms and many people may hide being abused or not report being victimised by people who they personally care about, such as family members. The highest reported incidences of domestic violence are generally suffered by women and children in family situations.
Domestic violence risks can be exacerbated in islands and other remote rural communities due to geographical, social and economic factors. The isolation inherent to island and rural living can intensify the dynamics of domestic violence. Limited access to resources like income, shelters, legal aid and counselling services can hinder victims from seeking help or escaping abusive situations. In many instances, island populations are small, creating an environment where victims may feel trapped by social stigma and fear of retaliation within close-knit communities.
Domestic violence can be exacerbated in island situations by economic constraints, higher costs of living and limited job opportunities. A mix of these factors may force individuals to feel trapped in abusive relationships for financial security. Economic dependency on partners can be particularly pronounced in smaller islands where employment options are scarce. This lack of financial autonomy not only perpetuates cycles of abuse but can also complicate escape routes for victims seeking independence.
On Spain’s Canary Islands, the Harimaguadas project used EU assistance from LEADER to help cover costs involved in establishing a network of actions promoting the recovery of women and child victims of domestic violence.
Objectives
This LEADER project was developed to help fill gaps in social farming services with a clear gender perspective and focus on the rights of children. Its innovative approach sought to build client confidence and raise awareness about the roles that farmers play in society.
Outcomes would improve availability and access to therapeutic support services and empower victims of domestic violence effectively to reclaim their lives while promoting healing and recovery through agriculture.
A cross-cutting objective was to create a safe and nurturing environment where participants can process their trauma through hands-on agricultural activities. This setting would help foster personal resilience and promote mental strength. It would support emotional well-being and healing, skill development and community integration.
Fostering community connections was another objective, facilitating peer support networks that redress the impact of risks from isolation, often experienced by abuse victims in island and rural communities.
Activities
LEADER-funded project actions were targeted at females over 36 years of age who suffered family violence. A package of coordinated actions was prepared, providing therapy- and empowerment-oriented capacity building using the natural environment on farmland as the primary setting.
Workshops and services provided by the project included farm tour guided experiences and local product tasting, where participants learnt about different aspects of goat husbandry and organic food systems.
Practical sessions taught added-value food production processes for cheese, jams, yoghurts and soaps. Other interactive activities improved awareness about healthy lifestyles and island traditions, such as indigenous songs and cultural ‘sanctuary cave’ rituals.
Anabel Calderín Castro implemented this project using her blend of qualifications in social intervention in knowledge societies and eight years of work experience supporting families, women and children in both non-profit organisations and public administration.
Main results
- LEADER results from Anabel’s commitment to her project, which supported women and children on the seven Canary Islands of Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, La Gomera, La Palma, Lanzarote, and Tenerife.
- The social farming project helped 19 women during its six months of operation.
- It strengthened support networks for women and children in need in rural Europe.
- The positive outcomes for participants who engaged in agricultural practices on the project helped enhance their skill sets, gain confidence and acquire valuable competencies that could improve their employability and/or self-sufficiency.
Key lessons
- Projects like this need expertise in both the farming and social development fields.
- Cultural norms in remote or isolated regions like islands can further entrench attitudes that tolerate or normalise domestic violence. Traditional gender roles may be more pronounced in insular societies, fostering environments where aggression is not challenged. Such cultural dynamics can inhibit open discussion about domestic violence and discourage victims from reporting incidents due to fear of social repercussions.
We articulate a network of safe learning, recovery, leisure and free time actions connected to the primary sector, aimed at young women victims of gender violence and their daughters and sons exposed to it, in the natural environment of the Canary Islands.
Anabel Calderín Castro