At 18 years old and with hands full of dirt, Miguel Lolas has managed to gather up to 81,000 views on Instagram showcasing agricultural routines in the Vega de Antequera. His account @agrololas has become an unexpected phenomenon in a region where young content creators are almost non-existent.
A phone resting on a crate of potatoes, hands stained with dirt, and a voice explaining how to plough a furrow. This is how each video begins for Miguel Lolas, an 18-year-old farmer who has turned his Instagram account into a showcase of agriculture in the Vega de Antequera. Since May, his posts have accumulated up to 81,000 views, without scripts or production: just the field and his day-to-day life.
Miguel is not a newcomer to the sector. His family has been working the land for generations: first his grandfather, then his father and uncle, and now him. “This has been passed down from generation to generation, from my grandfather, who had fields, then to my father, to my uncle, and now in the future it will pass to me,” explains the young man, who sees social media as a way to show the reality of the countryside without embellishments.
From a friend's suggestion to thousands of followers
The idea of opening an Instagram account came about by chance. A friend encouraged him to try his luck in the influencer world. “They told me: nowadays there are many influencers, try creating one of these accounts and see how it goes,” Miguel recalls. He uploaded his first video and, as he puts it, “it went very well and it has been that way ever since.”
Although he also maintains a TikTok account, he has concentrated all his activity on Instagram, where he documents month by month the work calendar of the region. The content follows the rhythm of the harvests: he started with the asparagus campaign, showing how it is cut and how the irrigation system works, and then came onions, wheat, and potatoes.
“Every day I upload a video of whatever is happening in the field, because not every day is about harvesting. It’s, for example, ploughing, sowing, watering,” details the farmer, who does not understand the surprise his success generates. “I grew up in a family environment of hard work and I really like working; I’m not one to sit still.”
A profile that breaks the mould on social media
Miguel is aware that his profile breaks with the norm in the world of social media, where fashion or cosmetic creators predominate. “As far as I know, there are no influencers from Antequera,” he states, referring to agriculture as a theme. His uniqueness connects with a reality that is repeated in much of the Málaga countryside: the lack of young people willing to continue family farms.
Miguel defends just the opposite of what has been conveyed in many rural environments for years. “Before it was frowned upon. If you didn’t want to study, you went to the field,” he recalls. His activity on Instagram serves as a counterpoint: it conveys to thousands of people outside the sector the harshness and beauty of a profession that, in the Vega de Antequera, remains the livelihood of many families.
For the residents of Antequera, seeing a young local succeed with such authentic content brings a small sense of local pride. Additionally, his profile serves as a showcase for the region's products: asparagus, onions, potatoes, and wheat that are cultivated in the fertile lands of the vega. Who knows if, over time, @agrololas will become a voice for advocating generational change in the Málaga countryside.
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