Almeria Spain: The Heart of Vegetable Produce for Europe

Almeria is located in the southern region of Spain and is a province of Andalusia. Often overlooked by neighboring cities like Sevilla and Granada; Almeria is a city exploding with various sites to be seen. The area is cornered by the Mediterranean Sea ensuring beautiful beaches, but the climate creates a European desert as well (Mark Nayler, 2020). Almeria also offers a history lesson from the Spanish Civil War where tourists can experience subterranean tunnel refugees used to escape attacks (Mark Nayler, 2020).

In addition to the area’s rich beauty and history, the economic status of Almeria tells a story of perseverance through adversities. The city’s struggles are best understood by looking at the trend in the gross domestic product (GDP). In 1969 Almeria’s GDP per capita ranked second to last out of the 51 provinces in Spain, but Almeria experienced stupendous GDP growth from 1994 to 2005 (Sanchez et al. 2011). By quadrupling GDP growth in that 11-year window Almeria surmounted their position on Spain’s GDP per capita to 24th in 2006 (Sanchez et al. 2011).  The growth in Almeria’s GDP is unprecedented because typically agriculture has played a minor role in rural European economies, but in Almeria, it is now the driving force (Sanchez et al. 2011). The agricultural industry of Almeria is owned by copious small family-run greenhouses (Sanchez et al. 2011). A system of relatively equal proportioned incomes are created due to there being no large growers dominating the market (Sanchez et al. 2011).

Almeria’s agriculture in the 1970s grew initially because their growing season could continue through parts of the year when other European countries had to wait for warmer weather (Sanchez et al. 2011). Agriculture in Almeria began with farmers who were receptive to innovations in farming, which created an environment with a plethora of implementation and technological advancements such as greenhouse growing (Sanchez et al. 2011). The settling farmers of Almeria were young and accepting of new technologies, and experienced in horticulture (Sanchez et al. 2011). The settlers invested their experience in horticulture to create the greenhouses seen today (Sanchez et al. 2011). The enormity of Almeria’s horticulture production is seen by satellite images of the region displaying the vast land dominated by greenhouses. The production from Almeria allows for ripe vegetables to be available year-round in grocery stores across Europe (France 24, 2019). Almeria’s horticulture contributes to 60% of the greenhouses in Spain and comprises 31,000 hectares that are owned by 15,000 growers (Blom, 2019). In an economic sense data collected from 2008 shows 14,000 growers that produced an income of 8.6 billion euros, employed 50,000 workers for the enterprises, and created an export value of 1.7 billion euros (Sanchez et al. 2011) The production from Almeria’s horticulture provides 40% of gross production while taking up only 3.4% of the land (Blom, 2019).

Currently, sustainability is the largest issue Almeria is struggling to adapt to, with water scarcity and plastic pollution being the two main culprits. A law professor at the University of Almeria states that the provenance is experiencing severe water scarcity due to years of exploitation of groundwater (France 24, 2019). The water scarcity results in dried up rivers, a more arid environment, and seawater polluting groundwater (France 24, 2019). Also, the greenhouse plastic has a three-year life span, after which the plastic is considered waste (France 24, 2019). Often riverbeds become flooded with plastic pollution that is primarily from greenhouses, and no one is cleaning the mess up (France 24, 2019).

  There are solutions to the sustainability issue facing Almeria and innovations are going to be their answer (Blom, 2019). Almeria growers are slowly becoming aware of technologies that save expenses on water and fertilizer, which would help solve water scarcity issues. One solution that growers in Almeria should be adopting is biochar. Biochar helps the soil retain water, which would result in a reduction of water usage by up to 30%.  Blom describes other new technologies that optimize greenhouses irrigation, and recommends installing pressure-compensated drippers to distribute water with greater efficiency (2019).   The struggles though, are that growers are often reluctant or slow to adopt new methods, especially when it requires upfront investment. 

Overall, Almeria provides a unique sustainability solution because the area has barely any dependence on fossil fuels. Greenhouses in Almeria primarily rely on the arid climate to provide optimal temperatures and solar radiation in their greenhouse, with fewer than five percent of greenhouses using fossil fuels (Blom, 2019). With Almeria’s unique situation the horticulture is ahead of other European greenhouses in sustainability efforts because other nations require fossil fuels for heat (Blom, 2019).  

In conclusion, while Almeria does provide breathtaking beauty and lessons dating back to Spain’s civil war, the area offers a multitude of unique characteristics if your interests lie in fresh food and in agriculture. The province previously endured economic hardships, which were solved with greenhouse agriculture. The determination from growers open to innovation created a prosperous agrarian economy that cannot be seen anywhere else in Europe. The current issues with sustainability are certainly struggles to deal with, but new research and development will be the solution as it has been in the past. Now Almeria is exporting produce across Europe at a rate that makes the province the heart of Europe’s vegetable producers. 

About the Author: Amata Green’s Fall 2020 Intern, Mr. Karl Froscheiser, is currently attending George Mason University in their Environmental Science and Policy master’s program. He graduated from Coastal Carolina University with a Bachelor of Science in Marine Science and a minor in mathematics in May of 2018 .

References:

Aznar-Sánchez, J. A., Galdeano-Gómez, E., & Pérez-Mesa, J. C. (2011). Intensive Horticulture in Almería (Spain): A Counterpoint to Current European Rural Policy Strategies. Journal of Agrarian Change, 11(2), 241-261. doi:10.1111/j.1471-0366.2011.00301.x

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227739815_Intensive_Horticulture_in_Almeria_Spain_A_Counterpoint_to_Current_European_Rural_Policy_Strategies#pf5

Nayler, M. (2020, August 20). 10 Things You Need to Know Before You Visit Almeria, Spain. Retrieved September 08, 2020, from https://theculturetrip.com/europe/spain/articles/10-things-know-visiting-almeria-spain/

https://theculturetrip.com/europe/spain/articles/10-things-know-visiting-almeria-spain/

Blom, J. (2019, April 2). Greenhouse Horticulture in Spain: Well On Its' Way To Sustainability. Retrieved September 08, 2020, from https://european-seed.com/2019/04/greenhouse-horticulture-in-spain-well-on-its-way-to-sustainability/

https://european-seed.com/2019/04/greenhouse-horticulture-in-spain-well-on-its-way-to-sustainability/

France 24 English (October 18, 2019) “Organic farming ‘supersized’: An imperfect solution for the planet?” retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYiQ-kgZHjA