Impact of EU Agricultural Policy on Spain: Transformations and Challenges
The EU’s Agricultural Policy and Its Impact on Spain
Spain’s entry into the European Common Market significantly impacted its agricultural sector. Price regulations, interventions, and common tariffs influenced trade dynamics with third countries like the U.S. Increased competition within the EU market drove improvements in yield and quality.
Challenges of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)
Spain faced challenges related to high product prices, agricultural surpluses, and the need for measures like activity abandonment and extensification. Consumer demands for food safety, quality, and environmental care added further complexity. Rural depopulation and the risk of losing agricultural landscapes posed additional concerns. The CAP’s effects varied across Spanish regions, with some experiencing problematic surpluses.
Traditional Agriculture and Transformations
Traditional Spanish agriculture relied on polyculture and extensive farming practices. Modernization introduced specialized crops, advanced techniques (GMOs, pesticides, fertilizers), and increased mechanization. However, machinery utilization remained suboptimal due to aging equipment and other factors.
Fallow Practices
Fallow, the practice of letting land rest, has seen a decline with the rise of medium fallow, which involves shorter rest periods and spring crops. Northern Spain exhibits lower fallow incidence compared to other regions.
Irrigation Practices
Irrigation, supplementing rainfall with additional water, plays a crucial role in Spanish agriculture. Intensive irrigation allows for multiple annual crops, while extensive irrigation supports single crops. Investments in irrigation infrastructure have expanded irrigated areas, stabilizing production and increasing yields. However, potential problems include over-extraction of surface water.
Key Reforms of the Second Republic
Beyond agricultural changes, the Second Republic implemented significant reforms:
Military Reform
- Allowed officer withdrawals with full pay.
- Abolished the Supreme Council of Military Justice.
- Closed the Zaragoza Military Academy.
- Restricted the military press.
Land Reform
This complex reform aimed to address landlordism, low productivity, and landless laborers. Its objectives were:
- Social: Distribute land to peasants, creating a landowning middle class.
- Economic: Increase productivity and purchasing power, stimulating consumption and industrial production.
- Political: Reduce the landed aristocracy’s power.
Education Reform
This reform focused on replacing traditional methods and religious teachers with progressive education to combat illiteracy and promote secular values.
Labor Reform
- Implemented the Employment Contracts Act, regulating wages, working hours, and vacations.
- Established the right to strike.
- Created mixed juries for labor dispute mediation.
- Strengthened pensions and insurance (retirement, maternity, accidents).
Regional Autonomy
: the constitution gave the possibility of granting autonomy to the territories that it solisitasen. In Catalonia the same April 14, 1931, Francesc Macia, leader of Esquerra Republicana, the new party of the Catalan left-seeks to create the Catalan republic within a federal state. 3 days later the provisional government of the republic recognized the Generalitat.