Spain's Agricultural Landscapes: Regional Patterns of Farming and Livestock

Agricultural Landscapes of Spain

Agricultural landscapes: they present a rural character in which a natural environment (physical factors) combines with agricultural activity carried out by people (human factors).

The Northern Peninsular Strip (Cantabrian Coast)

Relief and climate: the area has a rugged, steep relief, with small surfaces of flat land and abundant rainfall.

a) Structure

• Population: the agrarian population was traditionally very numerous. Agriculture provided sufficient income, so there was little emigration and the population remained settled. Settlement was dispersed (aldeas, parroquias, villages).
• Property system: smallholding predominates. Peasant owners hold small plots (parcelas, pumas) divided and fragmented across generations. This reduces profitability and hinders mechanization.
• Land uses: livestock farming (grazing) is dominant.

b) Agriculture

Cultivated surface is limited. Cultivation is concentrated in the lowland fields along the valleys. In the interior, agricultural use is reduced, and traditional dryland farming (secano) has been replaced by specialized crops and fodder for cattle, which has developed the stabled livestock system.

c) Livestock farming

Livestock is the main economic activity in this area, favored by the weather and by strong demand for milk and meat. The rural exodus has led to the modernization of some farms, but many remain small and outdated, especially in dairy industries. Prospects are good for larger, modernized operations, but the dependence on European Community policy, with quotas and reduced output, makes modernization difficult.

d) Forestry

Forestry is also important, especially for timber and paper pulp.

The Interior of the Peninsula

Relief and climate: the area is a high plateau (meseta) with altitude and a continental Mediterranean climate, with low and irregular precipitation and dry summers.

a) Structure

• Population: rural depopulation and abandonment of land have occurred as people emigrate. Settlement is concentrated in villages along the valleys of the Duero and the Ebro.
• Property system: smallholdings predominate in the Duero and Ebro valleys, while irrigated areas of the Ebro contain larger properties. Large estates are found in Salamanca, Burgos and Castilla-La Mancha.
• Land uses: these vary considerably.

b) Agriculture

Around 44% of the surface is farmland. Differences are significant: the meseta is dominated by dryland extensive crops typical of the Mediterranean, such as cereals, vines and olive trees. Wheat is grown in Castilla y León, while barley and sunflower are cultivated in Castilla-La Mancha. Olives and vineyards are found in Extremadura and Aragon, and wine grapes in La Rioja and Navarra.

Irrigation allows more intensive farming. Recently, irrigated area has increased, allowing crop diversification: industrial plants, fodder for livestock and fruit and vegetables.

c) Livestock farming

Livestock is important in certain areas: in the Castilian secano and the Ebro depression, sheep are kept in stables. In Castilla y León and Castilla-La Mancha, sheep, goats and pigs are raised. Extremadura has a landscape characteristic of extensive agro-silvopastoral systems combining livestock, agriculture and forestry use. Some farms are mechanized and others are small, and game hunting is another interest in these areas.

The Mediterranean Coast

Relief and climate: the Mediterranean littoral and the Balearic Islands have a rugged relief, with the Guadalquivir Valley and coastal areas that have very low summer rainfall.

a) Agrarian structure

• Population: the population is large and dispersed.
• Property: in irrigated zones, properties are small and medium in Valencia and Murcia, and medium and large in Catalonia and Andalusia.
• Land uses: these are varied.

b) Agriculture

There is a clear differentiation between irrigated agriculture and dryland agriculture (secano). Irrigated farming is favored by mild temperatures, high insolation, protective relief, and suitable soils, with strong international demand. Typical products include early horticulture outdoors and under plastic, citrus fruit growing and tropical Mediterranean fruit. The dryland plains of the Guadalquivir and the more mountainous pre-littoral areas grow cereals, grapes, olives and almonds.

c) Livestock farming

Cattle and pigs are raised in Catalonia, while sheep and goats and free-ranging cattle are found in the dry lands on the banks of the Guadalquivir.