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Multicriteria assessment of agricultural land use: the case of marginal olive plantations
[Comprehensive study of physical factors in the dehesas of Extremadura [Spain]]
Peach and nectarine breeding program imida-NOVAMED S.L., to obtain new cultivars adapted to the region of Murcia
Region of Murcia is one of the major peach-producing areas in Spain and it is also one of the oldest within the European Union. Payments over property rights of new peach cultivars have proved to be very controversial. When a producer designs a new plant, he or she must pay royalties for the new cultivars to the market, use free cultivars or develop new cultivars. The latter option is currently being used by NOVAMED S.L. The company consists of several major fruit-operators located in the Region.
Quantifying the impact of land-use change to European farmland bird populations
The EU has adopted the European Farmland Bird Index (EFBI) as a Structural and Sustainable Development Indicator and a proxy for wider biodiversity health on farmland. Changes in the EFBI over coming years are likely to reflect how well agri-environment schemes (AES), funded under Pillar 2 (Axis 2) of the Common Agricultural Policy, have been able to offset the detrimental impacts of past agricultural changes and deliver appropriate hazard prevention or risk mitigation strategies alongside current and future agricultural change.
Irrigation Water Value Scenarios for 2015: Application to Guadalquivir River
This paper reviews the application of a scenario for the 2015 agricultural policy and markets for theirrigated agriculture in Europe. Scenarios for irrigated agriculture 2015 are also described in detailincluding Reformed CAP and biomass demand. It is applied at the basin level for the GuadalquivirRiver in southern Spain. The methodology is based upon residual value of water and it combinesbudget and farm analysis at municipality level, with the Guadalquivir basin divided at 50 ‘comarcas’;in each of them 24 possible crops are selected with specific ‘comarca’ data bases.
Suitability of enzyme activities for the monitoring of soil quality improvement in organic agricultural systems
There is growing interest in the applications of soil enzymes as early indicators of soil quality change under contrasting agricultural management practices. However, despite there being an abundant literature on this subject, most comparative assessments have been based on a limited number of experimental farms and, therefore, conclusions are not as robust as desired. In this study, we compare 18 pairs of organic and neighbouring conventional olive orchards in southern Spain.
Can virtual water 'trade' reduce water scarcity in semi-arid countries? The case of Spain
Agricultural trade is by far the largest vehicle to ‘move’ water virtually around the world. Observing that most countries import and export water embedded in the exchanged products, the objective of this study is to assess the virtual water ‘trade’ in Spain for the period 1997-2006. We differentiate between the green and blue components of virtual water from a hydrological and economic perspective. The combination of spatial and time dimensions offers a unique empirical setting to determine whether virtual water ‘trade’ can contribute to reduce water scarcity.
Impact of three decades of urban growth on soil resources in Elche (Alicante, Spain) Impacto en el suelo como recurso depués de tres décadas de crecimiento urbano en Elche (Alicante, España) Impacto sobre o recurso solo após três décadas de crescimento...
This article analyses the impact of soil sealing associated with three decades of urban growth in the Mediterranean coastal municipality of Elche (Alicante, Spain) on local soil resources. Geographical Information System (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) techniques were used to obtain and analyse different types of thematic information relating to urban growth and soil resources (soil class, land use capability, and physiographic classes).
Vegetation cover reduces erosion and enhances soil organic carbon in a vineyard in the central Spain
Land degradation, and soil and nutrient loss, are significant environmental problems in semi-arid agricultural environments in the Mediterranean Basin. One land use that is particularly associated with the highest rates of erosion in Spain is extensive vineyards. We examined the effectiveness of two cover crops for improving soil physical properties and reducing erosion in a vineyard located in the Henares River basin southeast of Madrid, Spain.
Perspectives of Livestock Farmers in an Urbanized Environment
Agriculture and its conflicts is a traditional debate in contemporary rural geography, associated with the organization and transformation of cultural landscapes by social groups. One of the most important areas of research is the perspectives and responses of farmers on the urban-rural fringe. The problems associated with land use change and the varying influences on new uses of traditional landscape introduce renovating and permanent elements to the management, responses and perspectives of farmers: extensification, changes in the organization of farm, relocation, etc.