The University of Granada, through Medialab UGR of the Vice Chancellor of Social Innovation, Employability and Entrepreneurship in collaboration with Save the Vega – Vega Educa and the City of Huétor Vega, held on April 22, a day focused on the analysis and highlight the Vega of Granada as agricultural, heritage and cultural space as part of the VIII Week of the Vega.

The day began with Manuela Martínez Jiménez, president of the Plataforma Salvemos la Vega, and Esteban Romero Frías, vice-rector of Social Innovation, Employability and Entrepreneurship, in an emblematic place: the Plantain of the Casería de Santo Domingo, symbol of the Custody Agreements of the Acequia del Albaricoque. There, participants from different sectors were able to learn first-hand about the current challenges facing the Vega de Granada. During the activity, key issues such as the impact of urbanization, the loss of agricultural land and strategies for the sustainable conservation of this unique environment were addressed.

At 11:00 am, the meeting moved to the Wine Museum of Huétor Vega, where a balance of the 10 years of the Pact for the Vega, an initiative that has marked a milestone in the protection and revitalization of the metropolitan agricultural landscape was carried out. The debate included Alberto Matarán, professor and researcher at the UGR in urban sustainability and citizen participation; Rafael Márquez, president of REGAMAN, promoter of local products such as green beans; Mercedes Archilla, organic producer and advocate of the circular economy from the Vega; and Alberto de la Torre, architect and promoter of the sustainable use of poplar in construction within European projects such as LIFE Wood for Future. In this space, ongoing projects and future initiatives were also presented, with special attention to current opportunities to move towards a fairer, more resilient and sustainable land management model.

In addition, attendees were able to visit the exhibition “Four Geographies: the Granada of water, the Granada of sequences”, an exhibition curated by professors Juan Luis Rivas and Belén Bravo, professors of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, which explores the value of the territory through urban projects, networks of irrigation ditches and traditional paths.

The day is part of the VIII Week of the Vega that proposes various cultural, sporting and educational activities. The week began yesterday April 21 with the photographic exhibition “Vega de Granada, promises of life, territory at risk”, at the Palace of the Counts of Gabia, where it will be on display until May 18.

These activities include the participation of Granada Tierra Viva, the innovation ecosystem (living lab) focused on the recovery and improvement of soils and the development of the territory, created within the SOILCRATES project, funded by the Horizon Europe program of the European Union.

This action, focused today in the Vega of Granada, is supported by the Impronta Granada Alliance and the Regional Councils of the UGR showing the firm commitment of the University of Granada with a sustainable future and a fairer socioeconomic development.