Essential Agricultural and Fishing Terminology
Key Concepts in Agriculture and Fishing
Padding (Mulching): A culture technique consisting of a plastic overlay on cultivated land where spaces have been drilled for the development of plants.
Agrarian Activity: Joint work performed by human beings to obtain products from the Earth, including agriculture, livestock, and fisheries.
Aquaculture: The art of cultivating aquatic plants or animals in order to carry out a controlled collection.
Agricultural Production: The set of activities developed in the field for the production of vegetables. The busiest agricultural areas of Spain are located in Extremadura, Castile and León, and Castile-La Mancha.
Ecological Farming: A compendium of farming techniques which excludes the use of chemicals, synthetic fertilizers, and pesticides in agriculture and livestock. The goal is to preserve the environment, maintain or increase soil fertility, and provide food with all its natural properties.
Subsistence Farming: The cultivation of plants that produce only for consumption by a population and generates no surplus to sell in the market.
Intensive Agriculture: A method of growing crops using all possible improvements to obtain higher yields. In Spain, this is characteristic of the irrigation areas along the Mediterranean coast.
Agriculture: An activity which aims to obtain plant products from the land.
Agropecuario: A set of agricultural work involving both vegetable production and livestock breeding.
Territorial Waters: The Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of fishing countries, extending 200 miles offshore.
Almadraba: An artisanal fishing method used to catch tuna, specifically in the Cádiz region.
Sharecropping: A land operating system which provides payment through a percentage of the harvest shared between the owner and the person working the land.
Tariff: An official tariff applied to certain foreign products.
Drag (Trawling): Fishing gear used as trawls, where engines are equipped to tow the net at an appropriate speed.
Lease: A farming scheme where the tenant (who works the land) pays the owner a fixed rent in money or products.
Fallow: Traditional agricultural practices in dryland where the land is left to rest.
Fishing Grounds (Caladero): Appropriate areas for fishermen to cast their nets. These are rich fishing areas due to the abundance of plankton, often found where cold and warm ocean currents mix.