Spanish Rural and Fisheries Landscapes: Evolution
Evolution of Rural Areas in Spain
GOD elevated products have prices, the existence of surpluses, environmental degradation, and depopulation of rural areas.
Uses of Rural Areas
Transformation and knowledge: Agriculture lost weight, livestock increased, and forestry production stabilized.
Agricultural Activities
Agriculture based on polyculture techniques resulted in delays because the poor performance was oriented towards production for self-consumption.
Changes:
- Processed on-farm structure: mechanization, tractors, harvesters, pesticides, seeds, and crop fertilizers.
- Uses new techniques: padding, transgenics, sanding, greenhouses, hydroponic crops.
- Intensive agriculture concerning weight gain; extensive agriculture; irrigation.
- Intensive irrigation broadening in greenhouses in the Mediterranean.
Advantages of Irrigation: Social, demographic, and cultural.
Disadvantages of Irrigation: Decreased transformation.
Agricultural Production Transformation
Areas under cereal cultivation are drylands. Legumes are also present, along with low vine yields, expensive olives, and Mediterranean vegetables and fruits. Forests are present in the Canary Islands and Catalonia. Fodder is present in the North.
Livestock Activity
Transformations:
- Increased use of machines.
- Breeding: Intensive > Extensive.
Production: Bovine milk, beef, sheep, meat, and milk.
Forestry
In the North, production increased. Decrease due to fires in wet Spain.
Agricultural Landscapes in Spain
Structural Agrarian Landscapes
- Large, dispersed population.
- Small peasant population owning parcels.
- Agriculture: Very little in the East (orchards).
- Livestock: Milk and meat demand in Galicia.
- Small to medium-sized family holdings.
- Logging.
Interior Peninsula
- Agrarian Structure: Towns, smallholdings, varied soil.
- Agriculture and Rainfed: “Campiña” and “Páramo” crops, cereals, grapes, olives.
- Livestock: Importance in Zamora and Salamanca.
- Forestry Holdings: Soria.
Mediterranean Coastal Landscape
(Guadalquivir, Balearic Islands)
- Agrarian Structural Population: Numerous, dispersed.
- Irrigated agriculture and dryland.
- Cattle and swine.
Mountain Landscape
- Low-density agriculture, depopulation.
- Small, private property parcels.
- Agriculture: Crops in the North of the peninsula (orchards).
- Livestock: Extensive grazing.
- Forestry Development: Wood, timber, eucalyptus, chestnut, pine.
Canary Islands
- Concentrated, loose settlements, villages.
- Cultivation: Monoculture, tropical plantations, vines, potatoes.
- Livestock: Sheep, goats.
- Forestry Development: Pine wood.
Recent Dynamics of Rural Areas
Tradition (deep rural areas).
World Crisis and Rural Issues
Fewer active population, less GDP contribution, demographic and economic problems, quality of life, and environmental issues.
Rural Planning (European Union)
- Economic development.
- Improving infrastructure, equipment, and quality of life.
- Environmental preservation.
Fisheries
- Eight organized fishing regions, Northeast.
- Production (+ Import): Fish, mollusks, and crustaceans. Highlights include whitefish, sardines, anchovies, tuna, and bonito for human consumption.
Crisis and Issues in Fisheries
- Insufficient resources about the outstanding fishing capacity of the reduced fleet.
- Deterioration of marine water.
- International small platform holding massive demand.
- Fishing grounds under humanitarian quotas.
- Restrictions on international fisheries.
- Problems: Active population, fleet.
Fisheries Policy: Regulation and Conversion in the Field
- Spain is integrated into the EU internal market.
- Exchanges with the European Union have been liberalized.
- Measures have been taken on regulation, replanting, and environmental protection.
- Regulation of access to fishing grounds.