African Muslims are helping to revive the Spanish countryside - assalamu alaikum
Peace be upon you. Sudanese Osama Abdulmummin works as a shepherd on an old farm in central Spain, says AP. From dawn till dusk, the 25-year-old tends to a flock of 400 sheep in the village of Los Cortijos, which has about 850 residents. This place was mentioned way back in the 17th century in “Don Quixote.”
Today, many small towns and villages in rural Spain are losing residents: people are moving to big cities in search of a better life. Only about 19% of the country’s population lives in rural areas now, down from 60% in 1960, and only around 4% of Spaniards work in agriculture. If it weren’t for migrants, many traditional trades, like shepherding, could disappear.
The government has launched a program that helps refugees and migrants from various countries, from Afghanistan to Venezuela, get education in agricultural professions and work on local farms, which are famous for their sheep cheese.
Local farmers, like Álvaro Esteban, who inherited the farm from his ancestors, complain that they don’t know where to find workers. Seeing the decline of the village, he even went to Wales, but during the pandemic, he returned and decided to try to revive the family business. At government sheep care courses, he met Osama and later hired him.
Now, Esteban, along with his 61-year-old father, runs the farm and produces cheese sold in stores and restaurants. 27-year-old Sharifa Issa from Ghana also went through the sheep farming course - he’s happy to learn the profession since he’s loved animals since childhood.
After five days of training, migrants get practical experience and can then work with the necessary documents; authorities usually help with employment. About 51% of graduates become shepherds, 15% go into slaughtering, while the rest work in orchards with olives and fruits. Most attendees are asylum seekers.
Osama wakes up for morning prayers at 5 AM, after which he takes the flock to the field. He lives alone; in the village, there are three other Africans working alongside him. Osama is learning Spanish and plays football with the locals on weekends. He notes that there aren’t many young people left in the village. Once a week, he calls his family in Sudan. He earns about 1300 euros a month - which is around the minimum wage locally, so he can’t help his family too often.
“I’m not looking for another job for now. It’s quiet and peaceful here, I like living in this village,” he says.
According to Álvaro, without migrants, many farms in the region, including his, would have closed down: few Spaniards are willing to work in agriculture, and even fewer know how to do it. “Many of the farms that exist now won’t have anyone to pass them on to. The kids don’t want to follow their parents. This sector is going through tough times,” the farmer adds sadly.
May Allah bless those who bring traditional crafts back to life and help communities preserve their labor and daily bread.
https://islamnews.ru/2025/10/2