1. AGRICULTURAL SPACES IN
THE BASQUE COUNTRY

2. Primary sector in the Basque
Country
• It has lost its economic weight:
• Smaller production
• Reduction of the number of people
working in this sector
• Main activities of rural spaces:
• Industry
• Housing
• Spare time

3. Primary sector in the Basque
Country
• Primary sector is less important
nowadays considering:
• Number of jobs created
• Reduced role in the GDP

4. Primary sector in the Basque
Country
• In Continental Basque Country (North
Basque Country) tourism has developed.
• In the Peninsula industry has expanded,
even when some agricultural works are
done.
• In the Mediterranean slope there is an
intermediate situation with modern
activities.

5. Agricultural system in the
Basque Country

6. Atlantic agricultural landscape
• Atlantic slope.
• Eco-geographical characteristics:
• Abundant rain fall
• Stepped relief
• Lack of flat surfaces
• Devoted to livestock,  prairies are
abundant.

7. Atlantic agricultural landscape
• Population is old, with high masculinity rate
due to the rural exodus of the 60s, and it
is not qualified
• Property is direct and it is small
• Each owner has more than one plot of land
• Mechanization is difficult due to the
stepped terrain
• Bocage
• Direct exploitation

8. Atlantic agricultural landscape
• Traditional productive system with scarce
productivity
• There has been a certain mechanization and some
innovations such as culture under plastic have
been introduced.
• Habitat is disperse or intercalar.
• The most common habitat is the bolck house,
isolated from others, this is, the baserri.

9. Atlantic agricultural landscape
• Agrarian policy was affected by the reforms of
disentitlement and Second Republic
• CAP has influenced, and this area receives aids of
the Leader funds.
• Products have been promoted and the brand
Euskal Baserri may be found in several of them.
This policy is guaranteed by the Basque
Government.

10. Atlantic agricultural landscape
• Agriculture is not sustainable due to the quality
of the soil and it is devoted to livestock.
• Some products are of small productivity but high
quality:
• Tolosaa’s black beans
• Getaria’s and Biscay’s txakoli
• Gernika’s peppers
• Product of baserri are popular, such as
vegetables, many of them obtained under plastic.
• In greenhouses tropical products are obtained
• Products well expanded are:
• Apples (for cider)
• Forage for animals

11. Atlantic agricultural landscape
• Livestock is extensive for meat
• Races have been improved
• Milk is produced with selected races
• Cooperatives were created for milk
commercialisation
• Other species are sheep, mainly the latxa, for
milk that offers the opportunity of producing
cheese of origin brand Roncal and Idiazabal
• Poultry is common in baserris as a complementary
activity
• New species have been introduces such as ducks,
ostriches and deers.

12. Atlantic agricultural landscape
• Soil is also used for other purposes:
• Forestry: species of rapid development have
been introduced instead of the autoctonous
vegetation in areas where the economic
benefit is an objective
• Rural tourism
• Endogen industry (for instance, furniture in
the Urola valley).

13. Atlantic agricultural landscape

14. Atlantic agricultural landscape
• Baserria is the exploitation unity:
• Small surface
• The property is formed by the plots
around the house
• Devoted to the production of grass and
other products
• Mountainous spaces, separated,
devoted to forestry.

15. Atlantic agricultural landscape
• Near cities and industries part time
agriculture has appeared.
• Full time agriculture is oriented to
intensive exploitation (vegetables
and dairy products’ production).

16. Atlantic agricultural landscape
• In the mountains livestock is dominant
• It is specialised in the use of high
mountains’ prairies for the breed of an
autochthonous sheep race: latxa.
• This activity is expanded in the Atlantic-
Mediterranean watershed (Gorbeia,
Aizkorri, Aralar) and in the area of
Pyrenees.

17. Atlantic agricultural landscape
• In the Encartaciones and other areas
the properties are surrounded by
autochthonous vegetable formations
constituting a bocage landscape.
• These formations has become an
ecological corridor because they have
autochthonous spices and they are
the habitat for local fauna.

18. Mediterranean agricultural
landscape
• To the South of the watershed, in
the region of Mediterranean climate.
• Eco-geographical characteristics:
• Dry summer
• Topography is not difficult easier
for agricultural activity.

19. Mediterranean agricultural
landscape
• Modernization:
• Land concentration
• Mechanization
• Cereal production in open land (Openfield)
• Based on wheat and other cereals
• High profitability
• Industrial products: sunflower, sugar beet…

20. Mediterranean agricultural
landscape
• Two regions may be distinguished:
• Cereal area:
• in Alava’s plain
• flat areas of scarce humidity
• Vine area:
• near Ebro river
• area limiting with Rioja

21. Mediterranean agricultural
landscape: Alava’s plain
• The exploitations are between 9 and
20 Has, normally of direct ownership
• There has been a policy of land
concentration
• Production techniques include
technological advances such as grain
selection and others.
• The dominant habitat is disperse.

22. Mediterranean agricultural
landscape: Alava’s plain
• Reforms during Second Republic and
during Franconism had an effect in the
properties.
• Dams were built so irrigation expanded
and parcels concentration was organised.
• The CAP has made of this area destiny for
the aids of the Leader programme.
• Origin brands have been created to
promote products of these regions
(supported by both, the EU and the
Basque Government).

23. Mediterranean agricultural
landscape: Alava’s plain
• Agriculture is extensive, and it uses
aspersion
• Productions are limited:
• cereals, wheat and barley
• Legumes such as quality beans (spotted bean
from Alava)
• Vegetables such as quality potatoes
• Industrial products: Sugar beet (alcohol),
sunflower (biodiesel)
• Few forage products

24. Mediterranean agricultural
landscape: Alava’s plain
• Livestock is industrial
• Forestry exploitation similar to the
Cantabric region
• Other uses of soil:
• Rural turism
• Second residences
• Furniture industry

25. Mediterranean agricultural
landscape: Alava’s plain

26. Mediterranean agricultural
landscape: Rioja
• Population of the area is old and with
a marked masculinity due to the rural
exodus of the 60s
• Qualification is scarce (only 1 per
cent are qualified)
• The average age is near 60 year
• Land is of direct ownership in a
majority of the cases (90 per cent).

27. Mediterranean agricultural
landscape: Rioja
• Exploitation size 9-20 Has, with predominium of
small property. There has been an attempt of
concentration
• Property: direct ownership
• Partial agriculture and land rented are common
• Production techniques:
• Open field
• Excessive mechanization
• Technological advances (selection, new ways
of production).
• Habitat: concentrated

28. Mediterranean agricultural
landscape: Rioja
• Predominium of vine
• Cereals are not very productive, and legumes are not
extended
• Origin brand vines are devoted to exports and they
compete with other countries with especialities such as
tempranillo, merlot, cavernes, avillon, reserve, great
reserve, aging.
• Olive tree has reduced production and is of medium
quality
• Fruits and vegetables for industry.

29. Mediterranean agricultural
landscape: Rioja
• Soils are uses for other purposes as
well:
• Endogen industry (related with tinned
food)
• Ecological tourism
• Touristy promotion.

30. Wine production in the Basque
Country

31. Mediterranean agricultural
landscape
• Agriculture directed to production is
subject to several problems:
• Biodiversity losses,
• Contamination of the land and water
due to the use of pesticides and other
chemicals
• Soil can become salty in case of
excessive irrigation.