ALMER\u00cdA, Andalusia, Spain \u2014<\/strong> Across 60 miles of coastline, one region produces more vegetables with greenhouses than any other climate in the world.<\/p>\n On a map, 30,000 hectares appear as a vast white expanse under the Spanish sun, with roads dividing the plots of land per farmer. On the ground, a maze of greenhouses, logistics hubs, and workers on scooters supply almost 24 percent<\/a> of Europe\u2019s vegetables.<\/p>\n In the arid, subtropical climate of Almer\u00eda, a city in southern Andalusia, Spain, this intensive growing region operates nearly year-round without the need for heated greenhouses or advanced technology. The coastline is known as Mar de Pl\u00e1stico, or Sea of Plastic. Only drip irrigation, stakeholding poles, and a clear polythene plastic enclose the tomato, cucumber, and pepper greenhouses.<\/p>\n Although climate change is the very reason intensive farming systems are being criticized and evaluated, it is also why they continue to expand and secure their place in the market. As winter temperatures rise and annual rainfall decreases, this region of Spain is experiencing a greater range of growing degrees, extending the growing season.<\/p>\n Those who farm, market, and research the region see intensive agriculture as highly organized and efficient. Yet, it comes with trade-offs: environmental risks from plastic waste and a humanitarian crisis for workers, challenging its social and environmental sustainability.<\/p>\n It is one of many intensive farming hubs feeding its continent. The Netherlands cultivates horticulture goods in over 10,000 hectares acres of glasshouses. The western United States hosts the world\u2019s largest cattle feedlots. Japan leads in offshore aquaculture. Antalya, Turkey, and parts of China mirror Almer\u00eda\u2019s sea of plastic, leveraging ideal climates for low-input farming.<\/p>\n So, how did a Mediterranean mountain slope became the solarization farming capital of the world?<\/p>\n Nearly 13,000 farmers cultivate 33,000 hectares in the Almer\u00eda region, each working 1 to 1.4 hectare plots \u2014 primarily family farms organized into cooperatives. The region reflects the structure of European agriculture, with many small producers managing fragmented landholdings.<\/p>\n Farmers grow tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant (aka aubergine), peppers, and some melons, totaling 2.7 million tons annually, much of which is exported to the United Kingdom, Germany, and France.<\/p>\n With greenhouses clustered in one area, businesses flock to Almer\u00eda for easy access to farmers. Though farmers make individual growing decisions, they rely on thousands of crop consultants from cooperatives, biological companies, and fertilizer groups. These advisors visit farms weekly, scouting for pests, monitoring plant health, and guiding production which creates a dense network of knowledge exchange.<\/p>\n This system has led to the widespread adoption of beneficial insects in integrated pest management (IPM) and helped prevent catastrophic cucumber diseases. Initially, farmers never intended to scale up or farm so densely, but the region evolved rapidly.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen something works and they\u2019re convinced, they adopt it quickly,\u201d said Juan Jos\u00e9 Mag\u00e1n Ca\u00f1adas, director of plant technology research at Estaci\u00f3n Experimental Cajamar, a cooperative research station funded by the agriculture bank, Cajamar Caja Rural.<\/p>\n Almeria is a prime example of economies of scale. Many farmers shared knowledge, found a market opportunity, and became an agribusiness masterpiece.<\/p>\n For the past 30 years, extension advisors have emphasized cost efficiency, a message producers took seriously. Historically, Almer\u00eda was one of Spain\u2019s poorest provinces, relying on subsistence farming.<\/p>\n \u201cThe region\u2019s expansion wasn\u2019t driven by the need for more land but by cost reduction, which spurred the growth of more producers \u2014 a common misconception, worsened by corporations, not local farmers,\u201d said Lena Schaller, a senior researcher at the Institute of Agricultural and Forestry Economics at BOKU Vienna, Austria.<\/p>\n \u201cIf crop prices fall or soil conditions deteriorate, farmers face two choices under the economic principle of economies of scale: intensification or abandonment,\u201d Schaller said.<\/p>\n Schaller explained that cost efficiency in vegetable production often means \u201clarger units and lower labor costs.\u201d While producers may not always be the ones expanding, cooperatives and logistics companies benefit from these economies of scale.<\/p>\n In the 1970s, grape production dominated until Italy took over the market, creating an opportunity. Farmers pivoted to tomatoes as land remained cheap, $150 per hectare (a hectare is about 2.5 acres), though greenhouse infrastructure cost $6,000 per hectare. To support small farmers\u2019 need for financing, banks and cooperatives like Cajamar Caja Rural became essential. \u201cAgricultural finance and climate change also accelerated intensive farming in this region of Spain,\u201d said Ca\u00f1adas.<\/p>\n Beyond economic pressures, natural conditions of intensive farming which include climate, soil, topography, and groundwater availability, helped drive greenhouse expansion in Almer\u00eda.<\/p>\n The Cajamar Experiment Station helps growers fine-tune small variables while maintaining resource efficiency as costs rise. Acting as a real-world trial center, it replicates exact growing conditions without disrupting production.<\/p>\n Researchers at Cajamar focus on simple growing variables, even when sustainability trends push for alternatives. Low-tech solutions often prove more practical, as seen in Almer\u00eda\u2019s steady technological evolution \u2014 drip irrigation introduced in 1975 and biological pest control<\/a> fully adopted in peppers by 2008.<\/p>\n The region\u2019s parral-style greenhouses \u2014 which stand 18 feet tall and are designed with weatherproofing to reduce interior humidity on rainy days and facilitating climate control \u2014 have also seen little change. Designed for labor efficiency, they allow workers to harvest without ladders and use arch systems for tomatoes and peppers, avoiding labor-intensive trellising like in Dutch greenhouses.<\/p>\n While Northern Europe and the Netherlands push high-tech controlled-environment systems, Almer\u00eda\u2019s growers prioritize low tech, high yielding production. Glass, for example, fails to diffuse radiation as effectively as the region\u2019s signature clear plastic covers.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we did the trial, it was interesting, but with labor costs rising, it won\u2019t not be profitable,\u201d Ca\u00f1adas said.<\/p>\n Almer\u00eda serves as a growing reference for the Mediterranean as its climate, winter production, and cultivation methods set regional standards. Ca\u00f1adas explains that consumers\u2019 expectations keep rising. \u201cThey\u2019ve tasted tomatoes from around the world and know what quality should be,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Despite striving for premium produce, Almer\u00eda faces pressing input challenges.<\/p>\n Water access is a prerequisite for farming. Rainfall averages less than 8 inches per year, well below the 24 inches needed, forcing reliance on wells, reservoirs, or desalination \u2014 an expensive but growing solution. \u201cThe most expensive water is the water that doesn\u2019t exist,\u201d one grower remarked.<\/p>\n Polythene plastics define Almer\u00eda\u2019s greenhouses, yet also pose a major environmental challenge. Discarded plastic litters roads, fields, and even the sea.<\/p>\n Though 90 percent of greenhouses use plastic, they are integral to the region\u2019s bioeconomy. Thicker greenhouse plastic is recycled locally, while thin mulch plastic remains a costly disposal burden for growers. The region is exploring circular economy solutions, including microorganisms to recycle agricultural waste and renewable energy integration.<\/p>\n Despite reliance on low-tech innovation, investment in seed development and research remains high but as many in the region explain, \u201cAgriculture can pay for it.\u201d Spain\u2019s farmers are among the most politically powerful, in part due to Almer\u00eda\u2019s agricultural wealth.<\/p>\n Growers worry about risk \u2014 in their disease management, soil health, and profitability. However, the culture of viewing workers\u2019 rights through housing, fair treatment, and wages is not a risk considered by the majority intermediary labor companies, and even farmers who hire them indirectly.<\/p>\n Agricultural work always carries risks, but especially in a region where 120,000 laborers work under often difficult conditions. Almer\u00eda\u2019s near-year-round production requires a constant labor force, unlike neighboring Huelva, a berry-producing region that depends on seasonal labor.<\/p>\n The sustainability of Almer\u00eda\u2019s agricultural labor force remains in question. Workers across Europe are often recruited through intermediaries and informal negotiations<\/a>.<\/p>\n Carlos Ruiz Ramirez works directly with farm workers in Spain through his research role with Oxfam Europe, a global organization that fights inequities in agriculture.<\/p>\n![\"Zajkowski-Europe-Intensive-Farm-04-map\"](\"https:\/\/www.agdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Zajkowski-Europe-Intensive-Farm-04-map.jpg\")
Agribusiness thrives with growth<\/h3>\n
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Growing variables that require no change<\/h3>\n
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The missing piece of sustainability<\/h3>\n