Background Spain has the highest percentage of cultivated land in the European Union. Its active farming population outnumbers the EU average by more than three percent, while the agricultural sector consumes 71 percent of the total water consumption in the country. To adhere to the Common Agricultural Policy, Agenda 2000 and Food Safety, the Spanish agricultural sector faces the challenge of integrating sustainable development into its policies. It must reduce practices which have negative effects on the environment, sustain and restore the functions of natural ecosystems and guarantee a safe agricultural production in accordance with the needs of the country’s population and the availability of food. Like other areas deeply rooted in agriculture, Galicia is subject to a process of rural emigration which is linked to increasing environmental, social and economic problems. Measures are needed to improve existing conditions in agriculture and the environment and to improve the agricultural sector in economic and social terms. Objectives The project aimed to identify potential areas for ecological farming in Spain to encourage the development of more sustainable agricultural practices. The project planned to detect areas eligible for organic farming and to provide training in organic farming for young, unemployed and under-employed farmers, especially those from target areas where organic farming projects will be implemented. The project also envisaged the settlement of young populations in rural areas. It intended to launch a dissemination campaign to inform the public and raise awareness on organic farming. Finally, the project foresaw the development of viable marketing methods. To this end, the project team planned to encourage interaction with agents, consultants, entrepreneurs and administrations within and outside the region of Galicia, where the actions were primarily to take place. Results The LIFE project for Galicia's organic farming was a pilot experience whose evolution showed the viability of organic farming as a sustainable way of preserving the value of local products and improving the local social and economic situation. The project established the basis for organic farming to emerge as a profitable sector in the region. The project identified areas with suitable ecological productive features. It then succeeded in developing 25 pilot plots of organic agriculture. The beneficiary provided direct advice in company planning and restructuring to ten plots. The project’s activities enabled the development of illustrative organic crops and demonstrated the potential products of organic farming and their environmental benefits. The project team provided face-to-face training to 1,429 students and electronic-based training to a further 139 students on organic farming. This training provided many with their first experience of ecological farming methods and practices. The project was able to consolidate the Organic Agriculture School as a training centre to run beyond the duration of the project. It has produced a series of guidance documents on organic farming for (potential) producers, including a technical introduction manual to organic farming, the theory of crop association, crop rotation and the control of pests and diseases. It also developed marketing projects to increase the profile of organic products with local consumers. The project also detected a number of obstacles to the development of the organic farming in the concerned area that will need to be overcome for the future development of the sector. For the real growth of the sector, major conventional producers will need to redirect their activity towards more ecologically friendly practices. However, cooperatives in Galicia are not used to thinking about cooperation in the field of organic farming. Furthermore, there are tough administrative barriers to acquiring certification from Galicia's Regulation Council of Organic Farming. The Organic Agriculture School is already working in collaboration with the two regional bodies responsible for the Environment and Agriculture in Galicia and has participated in the definition of a Strategic Plan for Organic Farming in Galicia. Meanwhile other town councils in the region have ordered the organisation of organic farming workshops based on the project’s experiences.