Agricultural Farm

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Memory · Subcategory: Sites of memory · Year: 1906

The La Granja park in Santa Cruz de Tenerife owes its name to the fact that in the same place it occupies today there was an agricultural farm since the beginning of the 20th century, establishments promoted at that time by the Spanish government with the intention of spreading agronomic knowledge and training specialised personnel. These centres experimented and researched the best crops adapted for each area, as well as improvements in livestock breeds. The State assumed all the expenses in creating these new farms, including staff salaries and equipment; local corporations only had to provide the estates where they would be installed. 

The establishment of a farm of this nature in the Canary Islands was suggested in 1904 by the Agricultural Chamber of the province. The request became a reality two years later when, by Royal Order of 22 March 1906, an agricultural farm was definitively established in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The land provided by the Provincial Council for this purpose was located on the outskirts of the city to the southwest, above the Camino de la Costa, on a 6-hectare estate called "El Sequero", owned by Pedro Tarquis Rodríguez.

The Practical School Farm of General Agriculture, the official name by which it was known, trained for decades foremen of both export crops (mainly bananas and tomatoes) and internal consumption (potatoes, maize, vegetables…). Regarding selective livestock breeding, the farm had a station for bovine and porcine studs. The results obtained were reflected in the various agricultural and livestock contests and fairs held over time. Furthermore, until well into the 1960s, the estate functioned as a rich agricultural bank and municipal nursery. 

Currently, the grounds once occupied by this facility now host the leafy La Granja park, which not only inherited the name but also many large and showy tree species that we can still admire.

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