Agricultural Land Use and Farming Techniques in Spain

Uses of the Countryside

The spatial distribution of agricultural land in Spain comprises 35.5% agricultural land, 14.32% natural meadows and pastures, 32.6% forest land, and 17.58% other surfaces.

The transformations that agricultural land use has experienced include:

• Shift in production components: Agriculture has lost weight, livestock has increased, and forestry production remains relatively stabilized.
• Emergence of new uses: Development of space for purposes different from traditional rural activities.

Farm Activity

a) Changes in Farm Structure

Changes in farm structure can be summarized as specialization, technological advancement, and intensification.

• Specialization: Focusing on products that perform best in each specific region.
• Modern Techniques:
  • Mechanization: Increased use of tractors, combines, and cultivators.
  • Inputs: Use of pesticides, fertilizers, selected seeds, and GM crops.
  • Mulching (Alcolchado): Covering the soil with plastic bands.
  • Sanding: Preparing the ground with a layer of manure topped with sand. The sand filters moisture, which is held by the manure and gradually returned to plants as fertilizer.
  • Greenhouses: Fixed structures covered with plastic that create a warm, humid microclimate to accelerate product maturation.
  • Hydroponics: Soilless cultivation where plant roots are supported by gravel, sand, or ashes and fed with inorganic salt solutions.

b) Agricultural Production

Agricultural production accounts for 61.4% of final agricultural production (2003) and has undergone significant changes:

• Cereals (34.8%): Losing ground for human consumption, increasingly used as livestock feed or for manufacturing compound feed (e.g., barley, corn).
• Legumes: Consumed green or dry; also used for livestock feed.
• Vine: An upland shrub producing grapes for fresh consumption and winemaking.
• Olive Tree: A crop highly resistant to summer drought. A portion is used for table olives, with the remaining 90% processed into oil in mills.
• Horticultural Products: Consumed fresh or processed by the vegetable industry.
• Floriculture: Increasingly important in the Canary Islands and Catalonia.
• Industrial Crops: Require processing prior to consumption (e.g., sunflower, sugar beet, cotton, tobacco).
• Forage Crops: Intended for animal feed, such as forage maize.