Book reviews
Greenhouse horticulture in AlmerõÂa Spain report on a study tour, 24±29 January 2000
J. Miguel Costa, E. Heuvelink (Eds.); Horticultural Production Chains Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands, 2000, 119 pp., Softcover, ISBN 90-6754-593-7 (US$ 40.00)
During the last two decades, the province of AlmerõÂa has rapidly developed a strong and original greenhouse industry, taking advantage of its favourable environmental conditions (high radiation level, mild winter conditions and availability of underground water) and of the development of economic exchanges within the European Union. Together with other Spanish regions such as the Canary Islands, it has become a strong competitor to the other European regions of greenhouse production, which has modi®ed the balance among them and questions their future. It is in this context that a group of seven Ph.D. students and a staff member from the Horticultural Production Chains Group of Wageningen conducted a survey and spent one week in AlmerõÂa to evaluate the potentials and threats of greenhouse horticulture in this region.
The report begins with a brief description of the geography, history and climate of the region, followed by a characterisation of the greenhouse production systems that have appeared in this framework. It describes the areas of production, the major crops (vegetable species), the cultivation systems (mainly arti®cial soil and `AlmerõÂa' type greenhouses), and their recent trends. It points out the speci®c problems of water and labour availability. The production costs are analysed in comparison with the Netherlands. Surprisingly, the political context is rarely mentioned. Yet the rapid development of Spanish horticulture in the 1990s cannot be analysed without referring to the entrance of Spain in the European Union and to the launching of the Single Market in 1993, and to the limitations put on the importation of products from other countries (Morocco) after the Uruguay Round in 1995.
The major part of the survey deals with different technical aspects of the greenhouse cultivation systems. The traditional types of greenhouses (Parral, AlmerõÂa) are original and deserved a precise description. Their main advantage is their low cost. But the frequent lack of proper equipments for controlling
Scientia Horticulturae 86 (2000) 261±266
temperature, humidity, CO2 concentration and water and nutrient availability
limits productivity and quality. The construction of new multitunnel greenhouses is a step towards better management of the cultivation system. Various levels of sophistication in the greenhouse construction are compared in terms of investment cost and production potential.
Maintaining adequate availability of water of good quality is one of the major challenges of the region. The sources of water and its management policy are described. The observed increase in salinity level is analysed as a consequence of marine intrusion due to a high uptake in the aquifers and of an excessive use of fertilisers and pesticides. Perspectives of improvement are listed: better control of irrigation and fertilisation, better management of distribution and storage of water, identi®cation of new sources of water (other regions of Spain, desalination of sea water).
Another challenge is the environmental impact of greenhouse cultivation. The high use of biocides and fertilisers can be explained by the characteristics of the physical environment (climate, soil) and of the cultivation systems. Interestingly, the survey points out techniques of various levels of complexity that could help moving to a more sustainable management. For example, crop protection would be simply improved by not leaving the organic waste (host for pests and diseases) close to the greenhouses, but the development of biological control will depend on a better climate control.
The second part of the survey is dedicated to the commercial and technical environment of horticulture in AlmerõÂa. As expected, the rapid development of the greenhouse industry has boosted various types of industries (mainly agrochemicals, plastics, seeds and irrigation systems) and services (mainly transport and construction). The commercial sector is centred around the activity of auctions and cooperatives; their high number in relation with the low number of big intermediates and distribution chains is identi®ed as a weakness. There is a trend towards a better management of product quality in order to satisfy the market requirements. At last, education (at the University of AlmerõÂa), research (in public and private experimental stations) and consultancy have all developed; their organisation is compared to the Dutch system.
At the end, conclusions are drawn that identify water and labour shortage, excessive use of biocides and fertilisers as weak points and favourable climate conditions, low production cost and improvement in education of growers as good opportunities for the development of horticulture in AlmerõÂa.
In conclusion, the readers will ®nd in this survey a useful compilation of data (yet the authors complain about the lack of precise statistical data) and a thorough analysis of the strong and weak technical points. However, a more precise analysis of the production systems in sociological and economic terms would have helped understanding the rationale behind the growers' strategy. Stating that growers tend to avoid risk and that this behaviour is the main limitation to
progress is not based on any scienti®c analysis. The availability of capital is also mentioned, but would have deserved a precise examination though it was certainly not possible during the short study tour.
This book will provide all readers interested in the analysis of the exceptional development of the `Spanish Westland district' a clear picture of its dynamics in the year 2000. Such a synthesis was lacking.
Christian Gary
I.N.R.A., Unite de Bioclimatologie, Domaine St-Paul Site Agroparc, 84914 Avignon Cedex 9 France
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The horticultural industry in Spain
I. Martin; Ground Cover Services Ltd., National Agricultural Centre, Stoneleigh Park, Kenilworth, Warwickshire, UK, 1999, 89 pp., ISBN 0-9536-7840-7 (£ 35)
``Horticultural industry in Spain'' is, according to the author and publisher Inigo Martin, the ®rst book in English describing the current status of the horticultural sector in Spain. The book consists of ®ve chapters describing the horticultural production characteristics of each one of the 17 autonomous regions of Spain.
The book starts by giving general information about the recent developments in the Spanish economy, politics and on the available infrastructure (roads, railways, sea ports). Clearly stated in this chapter (p. 1), is the importance of the Spanish horticultural sector not only in terms of the Spanish agriculture (50% of the total value of Spanish crop production) but also in terms of the European horticulture (about 30% of the total horticultural production in the European Union).
Chapter 2 (7 pp.) describes the geographical and environmental aspects of the different regions of Spain: soil, climate, water resources and irrigation systems. In broad terms, Spain is an arid country and water shortage is a ``hot'' issue. The Spanish natural water resources (main rivers, underground water) are presented together and the author also does not forget the investments made by Franco in hydrological infrastructures which permitted the extraordinary development of tropical and subtropical horticulture in Spain. The National Hydrological Plan (NHP) is referred to as well as the dif®culties related with its approval. Therefore, the short-term solution for the water problems faced in the south is not in the NHP. A little out of the scope seems paragraph 2.4 that, in just two pages, brings together the past, the present and the future of Spanish horticulture. An elaborate analysis of the topic as suggested by the title of this monograph is missing. One would expect the identi®cation of the weaknesses and strengths, the threats and opportunities of the Spanish horticulture. This would de®nitely enrich the book.
