A New Life Rooted in the Soil

After years between Ibiza and England, Jessica made Ibiza her permanent home in 2019. With no traditional farming background, just a deep curiosity and commitment, she stepped into agriculture as a localized response to climate change and farmland abandonment alongside her work as a project builder for island wide agro-ecological land stewardship initiatives, supporting small-scale farmers with access to land, soil health, and biodiversity.

Over the last 60 years, agriculture in Ibiza has quietly faded, pushed aside by booming tourism. Fields once rich with tradition have been left unattended, but Jessica saw an opportunity to restore farmland ecosystems and recover fields by transitioning them into profitable food productions that work with nature.

In 2020, on a single abandoned field that had been out of use for 20 years, she began. What started as one quiet act of restoration became Can Purtell, a 35-hectare regenerative grain project across eight different plots of land in the North East of the island with more fields being taken on every year. “I began with the idea that I was shaping the landscape.” Jessica explains. “I now understand that the landscape has been shaping me.”

Ancient Grains, Modern Purpose: Reviving Ibiza’s Agricultural Past

Jessica works with the natural conditions of Ibiza, choosing drought-resistant ancient grains that were once staples of the island’s agriculture. "I am working with local varieties and ancient grains, not only for their resilience and adaptiveness, but also to support their recovery and promote their uptake in farming and gastronomy."

So far, she has planted local variety wheat and barley and will expand her production to include oats. She uses minimal tillage, cover cropping, and companion planting to nurture the soil and provide nutrients for her cereal crops. “I respond to how the soil is expressing itself.” Jessica shares. “I mostly see ‘weeds’ as cover crops and companion plants.” 

This year she is bringing in the neighbor’s flock of sheep to graze nearby fields. “It’s hard for me to think of Can Purtell as a farm in the traditional sense.” Jessica explains. “There is no infrastructure. No livestock, no barns, or fences. Instead, it is a patchwork landscape in recovery where field ecosystems are coming back to life with the support of plant-based fertility, feeding a multitude of species above and below ground.”

Building a Local Grain Economy from Scratch

Part of Jessica’s challenge in running Can Purtell has been finding a way to process and sell the grain she produces. Ibiza has no modern organic mill or grain cleaning facilities. The only solution currently is to transport the wheat to Formentera to be milled, a logistical challenge. 

Jessica has also had to build a market for her grain from the ground up.

Partnering with and selling directly to bakers and restaurants on the island has been key. Local bakers bet on her success, offering a fair price for her unique flavors to get local production off the ground. This relationship has also provided an important feedback loop. The bakers tell her which varieties work best for them, how they want the flour sifted, and what they need more of. Because Jessica works with small field sizes of around 5 hectares, she has the flexibility to adapt her planting based on demand, making her farm both ecologically and financially sustainable.

Farming as a Conversation, Not a System

Jessica’s long-term vision for Can Purtell extends beyond grains. It’s about reviving Ibiza’s farming heritage. On an island better known for clubs than farming, she envisions a future where abandoned fields are brought back to life and where people have a direct connection to the land in a way that goes beyond the plate.

“My relationship with the land is one of call and response.” Jessica shares. “It’s a constant conversation. Every day, I am learning to listen more deeply. There is no success or failure. There is only observation, adaptation, and response. The fields have their own agency, self-determination and evolution and I am simply a part of that process.”