Spanish Agriculture and Rural Development: Policy and Habitat

Modernization of Spanish Farming (1960s)

• Mechanization
• Selection of seeds and livestock breeds
• Chemical fertilizers
• Plant protection products
• Intensification of production
• Increased yields

Rural Settlement and Habitat in Spain

The Rural Settlement

Rural settlements comprise villages with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants:

• Rural: Less than 2,000 inhabitants
• Semi-Rural: 2,000 to 10,000 inhabitants

Factors Influencing Rural Sites

The location of rural sites is related to:

• Natural factors: Topography and water availability
• Economic factors: Resource availability
• Historical factors: Such as the Reconquista

Types of Rural Settlement

Dispersed Settlement

Characterized by houses separated from each other by fields.

• Examples: Northern Catalonia, Valencia, Murcia, Andalusia, Balearic Islands

Fully Scattered Settlement

• Any sort of dense population is absent.
• Common in mountain areas.

Loosely Scattered Settlement

• Small groups of houses forming remote villages or parishes.

Interlayered Scattered Settlement

• Houses are surrounded by tenements located between concentrated cores.

Concentrated Settlement

• Housing is crowded.
• Dominant in inland Spain and Andalusia.

Transformations in Rural Settlements

• Inland areas experienced reduction due to rural exodus, but are now recovering through endogenous development.
• Coastal areas have seen increased tourism.
• Suburban areas are being absorbed by urban growth.

The Rural Habitat

The morphology of rural habitats depends on the materials used and the layout of the houses.

Building Materials

• The stone house
• The intricate wooden house
• The clay house

House Plans

• The block house
• The compound house

Agricultural Policy in Spain

Agricultural Policy Pre-CAP (Mid-19th Century to CAP Adoption)

Land Ownership System

Attempts to amend the land ownership system, with limited success, occurred three times:

• Land sales of the 19th century
• The land reform of the Second Republic
• Franco's land settlement policy

Addressing Inadequate Plot Size

• Land Consolidation (1952)
• Legislation on Large Farms (1979)

Trade Protection

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)

• Spain became part of the internal market.
• Trade with the EU was liberalized.
• Significant efforts were made to modernize Spanish farming.

Challenges and Problems

• High prices of Spanish agricultural products
• Surpluses (cereals, wine, milk, beef)
• Deterioration of the environment due to increased agricultural activity
• Rural depopulation