The tiny village in Malaga province that aspires to be the 'Provence of Andalucía'

The small village of Alfarnatejo in the Axarquía area of Malaga province is aspiring to become the 'Provence of Andalucía'. For the past year, the village, which is home to just 400 people, making it one of the smallest in the province, has been cultivating lavender. Locals hope that the aromatic plant, normally associated with the Provence area of southern France, could be the key to attracting visitors.

At the moment lavender is being grown in the village's botanical garden, its adventure park (Alfarnatura) and in even in the streets, where there are more than fifty lavender plants that already give off the characteristic aroma to those who stroll through the village, especially in July, when the lavender is in full bloom.

The project is still at an early stage, as the first harvest has served to see the potential, look for collaborators and sponsors and learn from mistakes. "It is a project that requires a lot of work and being a small village, it is more difficult, but we are looking for help to make it as good as possible," explains Daniel Benítez, the mayor of Alfarnatejo, who came up with the idea of linking lavender to his village.

It all started with a problem with his spine, where the only thing that soothed his pain was a few bags of lavender seeds heated in a microwave. This gave him an idea: "I realised that it was what I needed for my village, that it was an agricultural product, but at the same time it could be used as a tourist attraction," he explains.

And these first ideas took shape with the cultivation of this aromatic plant in different places, both in the town centre and in the surrounding area. Planters, flowerpots, flowerbeds and even some fields in the surrounding area were the first places where the first seeds were planted.

Now the mayor is trying to promote the project both to public institutions and private companies. He says he already has the support of Malaga's provincial authority, the Diputación de Málaga, while among private companies he says he has the backing of Víveros Guzmán who may become involved in the supply of seeds, in advising on cultivation or even in the provision of tools.

In its first few months of operation, lavender has already generated significant benefits for Alfarnatejo. "This summer the village has many more bees, not wasps," says the mayor, which means a lot for the pollination of other crops in the area. To this the mayor adds that "a resident has decided to set up beehives, which, in the end, will be used to extract lavender honey". There is even a project to make wines and liqueurs with the plant.

Furthermore, the women's association Lavanda de Barro has been learning about the production of essential oils, candles and handmade soaps made with lavender. "We want to make products that can be sold in the village and that visitors can take home as souvenirs," says Benítez.

The mayor recently travelled to Provence where he was able to see the potential it has for his village. While there is already a scent of lavender in Alfarnatejo, it is hoped that the next season will be even better than this one.