Essential Agricultural Concepts & Practices
Sanded Cultivation (Cultivos Arenados)
A cultivation technique that uses a mixture of sand with a layer of fertile soil to allow water infiltration and prevent evaporation. It is practiced in tomato cultivation in Mazarrón and Águilas.
Crops Under Plastic
A cultivation technique that enables advancing and increasing crop yields by altering climatic characteristics (temperature, humidity). It originates from early Mediterranean agricultural products and presents different types: greenhouses, Cartagena field systems, and padded structures.
Feedlot
A livestock rearing technique where cattle are raised intensively, without leaving the barn, to obtain high yields of meat or milk in the shortest time possible. This method uses careful selection of breeds, specialized feed, vitamin compounds, and veterinary care to prevent diseases.
Structural Funds
Money from the European Union (EU) through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) that subsidizes farming and agricultural activities in various European countries. Among them, we can distinguish:
- EAGGF (European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund): For rural areas with development problems not covered by ERDF.
- ERDF (European Regional Development Fund): For backward regions with a GDP below 75% of the EU average, to invest in infrastructure.
- ESF (European Social Fund): For regions experiencing a decrease in industrial employment.
Livestock Farming
An economic activity devoted to the breeding of animals. It can be extensive, intensive, or stabled. Depending on the animals, it includes goats, sheep, cattle, swine, etc. In Spain, it is the second most important subsector of the primary sector.
Intensive vs. Extensive Farming
Types of cultivation involving the permanent occupation (intensive) or discontinuous yielding (extensive) of agricultural areas, utilizing different cultivation techniques. These can be identified with market-oriented agriculture and subsistence agriculture. Examples include:
- Intensive: The gardens of Murcia.
- Extensive: The cereal-growing areas of the plateau.
Latifundio (Large Estate)
A type of large property, over 100 hectares, traditionally poorly exploited or inefficient, employing large numbers of laborers. Today, it has often abandoned its extensive system of exploitation through the introduction of mechanization and industrial cultivation. It is characteristic of regions like Andalusia, Extremadura, and Castilla La Mancha.
Mechanization in Agriculture
A process that can be applied to both agriculture and industry. In agriculture, it refers to the introduction of machines, tools, and mechanized techniques. This causes an increase in production and productivity, and a decrease in the working population, often resulting in the rural exodus phenomenon.
Minifundio (Smallholding)
Refers to a type of ownership and parcel size, in both cases resulting in small dimensions. A property is considered a minifundio if it is below 10 hectares. An extreme case of minifundismo is the microfundio. These small sizes can present challenges for efficient farming.
Monoculture
A cropping system characterized by the predominance of a single crop in the agricultural landscape. It is characteristic of the cereal plains of both Spanish plateaus.
Agrarian Landscape vs. Agricultural Area
The agrarian landscape is the combination of habitat and landscape seen from a descriptive viewpoint, considering only its present visible aspects. It is often preferable to talk about an agricultural area because, in addition to the descriptive and visible elements, it incorporates unseen socio-economic aspects, such as social systems and technical factors (e.g., mixed livestock farming in the Cantabrian region).
Agricultural Plot (Parcela Agrícola)
Each of the parts into which an agricultural holding is divided. In parts of Spain, an excess of plots has been reduced by measures of agricultural land consolidation policy.
Polyculture
A cropping system in which different crops appear, sometimes coexisting in the same plot. Fruit is often combined with vegetables and fodder crops. This system is common in various agricultural practices.