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PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Phil Voice on November 11, 2011 at 8:47

Hi Phil

 

I pretty much eat drink and sleep British news and due to the nature of what I'm doing  I'm fairly isolated, on a day to day basis, from French opinion.

 

I talk to my French neighbour occasionally and he puffs and blows a bit about the crisis - it's called la crise here - but he's been retired since we bought his farm so from the perspective of personal wealth I think he's probably better off than most.

Probably like any (retired) farmer, he's more concerned about weather and crop yields and how it affects the local economy.

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Permalink Reply by Peter Ashby on November 14, 2011 at 9:53

I live just outside Granada in Andalucia, southern Spain, and I am attempting to develop a bulb and seed enterprise despite limited land and finances. The news here is very much centred on the financial crisis and Spain is hanging on and hoping that it doesn't get hit by the Greece/Portugal domino effect. Unemployment in Andalucia is the highest in Spain at 31% and anybody who wants to help themselves by exploring self-employment options is up against the dreadfully antiquated and beaurocratic Spanish system, not to mention a complete lack of interest from the banks in supporting individual initiative - they, of course, are far more interested in paying their executives six figure bonuses..... There are a few small horticultural businesses in this area providing landscaping and general gardening services but there seems to be much untapped potential for filling some specialist niches here, ie: Mediterranean landscaping plants/seeds (apart from the inevitable palms), etc. I'd like to see a self-support group of British horticultural workers based in Spain - any suggestions, let me know! 

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