GCSE Geography | Case Study: Almeria Greenhouses (Resource Management - Food 5)

Almeria is in the south-east of Spain and is extremely arid (around 200 mm rainfall annually), despite this is grows most of the UK's out-of-season crops, such tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce. But how does it manage this with such a dry climate?

Almeria is home to the largest concentration of greenhouses in the world (pictured below), spreading over 26,000 hectares in this part of Spain, and growing over half of the fruit and vegetables eaten in Europe. These greenhouses are an example of a large-scale agricultural development, and are owned and run by a mixture of individual farmers and large agri-businesses (farms that are run like huge commercial companies).

There are several reasons that large-scale agriculture has developed in Almeria. One of the main reasons is the demand for out-of-season produce from other countries such as the UK, and this region of Spain has an average temperature of 20°C and averages over 8 hours of sunshine so even in winter crops can grow in the greenhouses without any artificial light or heat, significantly reducing costs of production. Technology has also helped - recycled plastic has been developed to build the greenhouses, and new and faster methods of transport has meant that shipping is cheaper and more efficient. Costs are also lower because of cheap labour from migrant workers from Northern Africa.

Benefits of large-scale agriculture in Almeria

• Cheaper fresh fruit and vegetables are available all year round
• Because of the proximity to the North Africa coast there is plenty of cheap migrant labour, as well as migrant workers from elsewhere in Europe
• Advancements in hydroponics and drip irrigation means that less water is used for food production, which is important in such an arid area
• A new desalinisation plant has been built to filter sea water and supply freshwater to the area
• Because it is warm and sunny all year there is little need for artificial lighting and heating, which means that the energy costs are low
• The greenhouses generate a multiplier effect with jobs in local packing plants and factories that make the recycled plastic used to construct the greenhouses, and highly skilled research and development roles within the scientific and agribusiness companies that have located in the area

Drawbacks of large-scale agriculture in Almeria

• The greenhouses provide many job opportunities, however the migrant workers employed are often paid very low wages, and there are reports of them living and working in poor conditions, and unfortunately because many of these labourers are working illegally they have no power to challenge their working conditions
• Despite the fact that water is being supplied by a new desalinisation plant, and hydroponic techniques use less water, there is still a huge demand on groundwater sources, which are drying up
• The local environment is also being affected, for example, plastic is being dumped into local rivers and the sea, which impacts marine habitats; and there is a lot of litter in the locality, including plastic sheeting and empty fertiliser and pesticide containers
• This type of agriculture uses a lot of pesticides which can have health impacts for workers
• Many people also feel that the greenhouses are an eyesore with thousands of hectares of land covered in plastic, which has ruined the local environment
• Locals also complain that the greenhouses have caused a slight drop in temperatures in the area as they reflect the sunlight back to the atmosphere, whereas the rest of Spain has seen an increase