Rural Spain: Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry & Tourism
Economic Activities in Rural Areas of Spain
Agriculture
Agriculture is a modernized financial sector in Spain. It has evolved from a traditional model into a family farm business model with high investments in technology, machinery, and fertilizers. Crops may be classified according to different criteria:
- Water supply: Rainfed and irrigated
- Land use:
- Extensive: If production per unit area and worker is low
- Intensive: If the output per worker and unit area is high
- Crop diversity: Polyculture and monoculture
- Plant type: Shrubs, trees, and fodder
- Cultivation period: Permanent and annual
Predominant crops vary depending on the region, considering the number of hectares and production volume. Modernized and intensive agriculture presents challenges:
- Environmental: Loss of fertility, erosion, etc.
- Social: Decline in agricultural employment induces depopulation of rural areas.
- Economic: Low price guarantees and lower prices compared to other products.
- Other: Loss of natural food quality.
Livestock
Livestock farming is associated with land unfit for agriculture. There is a shortage of animal feed, and prices are consistently high, especially for organic feed. The demand for meat products has increased due to rising living standards, necessitating wider production. Intensive techniques have been applied to livestock farming to bridge the gap between consumption and production sites. There is great diversity in livestock production:
- Dairy cattle in the Cantabrian region
- Highly evolved intensive swine farming in Catalonia
- Poultry in the Community of Madrid
- Meat-oriented livestock and sheep in Castilla y León, Castilla-La Mancha, Extremadura, and Aragón
- Iberian pigs in Extremadura
Spain is the second-largest producer of pigs in the EU, behind Germany. In sheep farming, it is only surpassed by the UK. Awareness of the environmental damage caused by intensive farming has prompted aid for organic farming since the 1980s. This promotes product quality and safety while safeguarding animal welfare under the principle of sustainability.
Forestry Sector
The existence of forests favors environmental improvement and the conservation of biological diversity. The forest area occupies more than 51.9% of the total area, with 16% covered with forest species. The majority are found in the Basque Country.
Sustainable Forest Management
Forest exploitation and care enable the maintenance of the population and employment. This includes:
- Timber industries
- Cork industry
- Coppice and resins
- Other increasingly appreciated products
The EU is the biggest trader in the sector and the second-largest consumer of forest products in the world. The Spanish forest plan is based on sustainable forest management. The biggest threats to our forests are air pollution and forest fires, although progress has been made in prevention policies.
Other Activities in Rural Areas
In rural areas, there are non-agricultural activities related to the increasing urbanization of rural areas and the processing of agricultural products. The agricultural area has been reduced due to increasing urbanization. This responds to the needs of the urban world, which seeks an alternative lifestyle, revaluing the benefits of the countryside and the use of natural products. Two dominant patterns of construction or initiatives are noted:
- Holiday homes: Houses that their owners enjoy sporadically. Their increase has intensified in recent years, improving the standard of living and transportation.
- Rural tourism accommodations: Usually small, family-run, and scattered in the countryside, offering the possibility to practice alternative entertainment.
Agribusiness is another non-agricultural activity. Their managers often come from agriculture, are of local origin, and these companies are family-run and easily managed.