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Andalusía lies on an axis between Europe and Africa and as a meeting point between the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. The region possesses a very wide-ranging type of terrain, from the fertile river plains to arid dessert to high mountains.

 

The Rio Guadalquivir is Andalucía's longest river, flowing throughout the region before it enters the Atlantic Ocean.  The valley of the Guadalquivir is the most fertile area in Andalusia and used to be navigable from the Atlantic as far upstream as Córdoba city, and is today still navigable up to Seville city. Virtually all of Andalucía's rivers are dammed at least once along their course, providing the region with vital water supplies, as well as hydro-electric power and large reservoirs.

 

It is thanks to this irrigation system that crops such as wheat, cotton and sunflowers are grown on the plains as well as asparagus, cotton, vineyards and olive groves. The olive is the most abundant crop in Andalusia and produces more olive oil annually than the whole of Italy. 150,000 hectares of almond trees in total add a special charm to the province. Conditions are right for the successful culture of citrus fruit, brought in originally by the Moors and now abide all over Andalusia not only as an important commercial business but also to decorate patios and gardens.

In Andalusia, 14% of land is as dehesa, a fenced area dedicated to animal grazing, and in this region that especially means the black pig which feeds on acorns and provides the well-known dried ham, jamón. Near Cordoba, there are large swathes of dehesa in the Sierra Morena.

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Desertification, caused in part by loss of vegetation due to drought, is a big problem in Andalucia, with almost half the land area of Malaga province under threat. Solutions to this extensive problem are being sought, with many tree-planting schemes across the region. The very dry Almería province, which contains extensive semi-desert areas, bear a close enough resemblance to the Arizona landscape to have been used as the location for Western films.

 

 

Marshes and wetlands along the coast and especially in the Guadalquivir delta, are a crucial stop over for migrating birds.

 

Mountain ranges of the Sierra Nevada national park with summits up to 3000m provide skiers with Europe’s southern-most ski resorts.

Salt marshes as a natural source of sea salt. Forest areas on the Mediterranean side include cork and oak. The shorelines of the Atlantic and Mediterranean are ideal for fishing as are the rivers and reservoir.

Nearly a fifth of Andalusia is protected, the largest proportion of an autonomous region in Spain, reflecting the un-spoilt nature of its countryside and the high ecological importance of its territory.

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                           A BIT OF HISTORY

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It is thanks to the River Guadalquivir and the fertile lands that pre-historic settlements were drawn here. This expanded in the Bronze age and then with the arrival of Phoenicians and Greeks, as an important mining and commercial centre.

 

Córdoba thrived under Roman rule as the capital of Hispania Ulterior with a number of monumental buildings and as a commercial and cultural hub. Vestiges remain such as the temple and recently discovered amphitheatre. The Visigoth invasion, however, brought about the stagnation of the city.

 

 

In the 8th century an Arab contingent arrived on the coast which was to radically change the course of the western world. The Muslims and Christians lived in harmony, allowed to build the Great Mosque within the city walls. The 10thC saw Cordoba proclaimed as the Capital of the independent Caliphate, thus creating a schism with Damascus. Due to rival factions struggling for power, the Caliphate collapsed in 1013 creating an interim Taifa kingdom.

 

 

However as of 1236 a Christian army headed by Fernando III of Castille resettled the city with churches and Christians and mosques were converted to churches. Hard times followed with a Civil war and the Black Death in the mid 14th century.

A century later the Reyes Católicos, Isabella de Castilla and Fernando de Aragon, captured the kingdom of Granada, the last Muslim stronghold and ordered the expulsion of the Jewish population.

 

Although Felipe II tried to put Córdoba back on the map at the end of the 16th century. with the building of the Royal Stables and the Gate of the Bridge, the Borbon rule that followed led to the decline of the city.

 

Córdoba suffered further as the Napoleonic armies occupied the city, although on a positive side, they completely overhauled the city’s urban design. 

 

It was not until the mid 20th century that Córdoba began to recover some of its lost splendour and importance. The population grew, a university was founded, new building projects began and then the city finally came to terms with its historical legacy. One of the city’s proudest moments was the declaration of the city as World Heritage Site.

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THE FUTURE OF CEREALS IN SPAIN:     PRODUCING WHILE CONSERVING

 

Published in CSM 194 July-Aug 2021

Emilio NAVARRO MARTÍNEZ, Agricultural Engineer and Entrepreneur, Spain

 

Cereals have been cultivated since the dawn of agriculture and have evolved with technology and agricultural development up to the present day, improving their quality and yield per hectare and adapting to an ever-increasing global demand. The world produces around 2,725 million tonnes of cereals each year (USDA harvest 2020 data), of which around 1.1 billion mt of maize, 760 million mt of wheat, 510 million mt of rice and almost 155 million mt of barley. World stocks (what is held for safety) are almost 900 million mt, although they vary according to the harvest and consumption in the world. The major cereal producers are the USA, Russia, China, India, the EU, Argentina, Brazil and Canada, but other countries such as Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Australia, among others, are increasing their production.

The EU produces around 290 million mt of cereals, of which 115 million mt of soft wheat, 65 million mt of maize and around 60 million mt of barley. Of durum wheat, around 40 million mt are produced worldwide, of which almost 8 million mt originate from the EU.

Spain is a country of just over 50 million hectares, of which only about 20 million ha are arable. Our annual cereal production ranges between 12 and 25 million mt, depending on the climatic year; and as our annual consumption of cereals, other grains and by-products is 35 million mt, we are a purely importing country, although we normally export durum wheat, and in good harvest years we also export barley and oats. We import not only cereals, but also protein flours (especially soya), protein crops, oilseeds and their derivatives, mainly for the manufacture of animal feed. By way of comparison, a neighbouring country such as France produces between 30 and 40 million tonnes of wheat alone per year.

In Spain, cereal production in Castile-Leon, Castile-La Mancha, Andalusia and Aragon stands out, especially in rainfed areas, since in irrigable areas there is a rapid change in cultivation towards woody crops - olives, almonds and citrus fruits - which are more profitable than cereals.

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PROSPECTS FOR THE CULTIVATION OF CEREALS AND OTHER GRAINS IN SPAIN

As we have already noted, Spain is a country that produces less grain than it needs, so it has to import it. Being a net importer means that our prices to farmers tend to be somewhat better than those of the major producing countries, as logistics and transport costs are considerable, and will be even more so in the future with the rise in oil prices and the increase in the cost of world transport. However, the low yields we obtain (no more than 2,500kg/ha on average) compared to other countries around us mean that profitability is very low at current prices, which is why some farmers are switching to woody crops or trying to grow higher quality grains at better prices (durum wheat, soft durum wheat, spelt, barley for malt, etc.), or even switching to organic farming.

The production of cereals and other grains (oilseeds, protein crops, legumes, etc.) continues to be a basic pillar for the welfare and food security of the population of any developed country, so Spain must continue to produce as much as possible, looking for specific high quality grains adapted to our climate that allow us to obtain the highest possible price for the farmer. There are many companies and public bodies working to improve cereals and other extensive arable crops in Spain, in order to increase production and improve quality in all areas.

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Our CAP subsidies are, unfortunately, low per hectare compared to those of other EU countries, as they were defined according to the average yields of the different areas of Spain, which are generally low when compared to Germany, France, Belgium, etc. 

 

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THE FUTURE: NEW FARMING TECHNIQUES AND ADDED VALUE

Pressure from environmental organisations, public opinion and the European Commission in the face of biodiversity loss, climate change and increasing pollution is leading to increased support for more sustainable agriculture that is less damaging to the natural environment, such as organic farming. The aim is to produce good quality cereals in a profitable way, while conserving the environment and natural biodiversity.

Spain has large areas where cereals and other grains are already being grown organically, increasingly on larger farms and with more technified farmers, achieving good yields and a magnificent adaptation in large areas of the drylands of Spain. The growth in the consumption of organic products seems unstoppable, both in our country and globally, which is driving an increase in the demand for specific grains and qualities. This increase in demand is being transferred to the fields in just a few years, producing what the market needs. Spanish organic cereals and grains are becoming more and more prestigious and secure in the EU and beyond, which for many buyers is more important than price.

But it is not all organic farming for conservation production: innovative techniques are also being used in the conventional cultivation of cereals and other extensive grains in Spain, such as conservation agriculture (combating erosion), sustainable agriculture (minimum inputs such as fertilisers and pesticides in the crop), integrated agriculture (intelligent control of pests, diseases and weeds in crops), regenerative agriculture (restoring degraded areas to their former glory), etc. 

All these techniques, in addition to improving the profitability and added value of our cereal crops and other grains, also have a minimal impact on the landscape, the environment and natural biodiversity and help to mitigate climate change and are fundamental in the fight against water, soil and air pollution in Spain.

 

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POSITIVE CONCLUSIONS

It is considered that we have entered a new era of high prices for cereals and other grains and by-products at world level: it is a fact that there is a growing demand from countries in clear exponential development, such as China, India, Southeast Asian countries and Africa, all of which are highly populated and have a growing (and unstoppable) demand for food in terms of quantity and above all in terms of quality. High cereal prices may be here to stay this year, in the opinion of many experts: yields can continue to improve, technology will help but, let us not deceive ourselves, the world's arable hectares are what they are, there are not many more, and if there are, they will be cultivated in areas of forests, tundra and deserts, which seems increasingly difficult due to pressure from public opinion and civil society in the face of an increasingly uncertain future due to

climate change and the loss of wooded areas and biodiversity on

a global scale. It is true that the Chicago grain futures market (CBOT) moves more than 25 times the physical grain of futures options, i.e. it is a financial rather than an agricultural market. However, reality is imposed on all markets when a major producing country has a bad harvest (this past season it happened with Ukraine and Russia), and demand is so close to supply that any adverse weather event in one of the major producers can trigger the markets, the so-called "Weather Market". 

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As a good farmer friend from Zamora used to say: we have to be "optimistic" about the future of cereal and other extensive grain production in Spain. We have a harsh climate, very varied soils, normally low yields and many problems, none of them unsolvable. But we also have great quality in the grains we produce, we are leaders in organic farming, we have a country with the richest biodiversity in the EU, we know how to grow crops respecting the environment, the soil, water and air, nature, and we will continue to do so with hard work and enthusiasm in the cereal-growing areas of our great country, thinking of future generations and their well-being.

 

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