2.
Almería has a Mediterranean climate, with pleasant
temperatures and low and erratic rainfall. Almeria has the
highest number of hours with sun in Spain per year. It is a
windy place.
These climatic conditions influence the different kinds of
agriculture in the area.
It's an area of contrasts. On the one hand we have desserts
and on the other forests and water.
4. What are the balates?
The terraces are
breaking ground on a
slope based on
vertical walls. These
constructions keep
rain for watering the
plants and for avoiding
to lose crops and land.
5. Types of farming
Depending on the dimensions various crops can be planted:
1000-2000m2: They can grow vegetables and the occasional fruit tree, usually
for family use.
2000-5000m2: The area was occupied mostly by fruit trees and some other
vegetables. Some of the products were already marketed.
5000-7000m2: As there was enough space fruit trees and vegetables were
grown and a small greenhouse was built. All of them can be marketed.
6. Greenhouses
At first these crops were planted
directly into the ground without any
protection. Later, to protect the crop
from the wind, they built up fences
with kind of rods around plants. Vines
were also used as a roof. From that
they began to think of structures to
improve crops.
After a few years, in order to grow in all
seasons, the first greenhouses were built.
These structures are intensive agriculture
elements that let us to control the best
climatic conditions for growing crops.
7. There are different types of
greenhouses, but the most widely
used in Almería is the traditional
one.
Greenhouses have evolved
trying to develop ecological
agriculture and biological control.
In the 70's there were no
greenhouses, but nowadays
there are more than 27,000
hectares covered by
greenhouses in Almería.
8. The ground extraction from Las
Norias, that was taken to use in
greenhouses, was the caused of the
appearance of the Wetland "Balsa de
El Sapo", a biotope which houses
various species of endangered birds,
a great example of balance between
the enviroment and intensive
greenhouse agriculture.
