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In this paper the Valle del Jerte in the province of Cáceres is presented as a significant enclave in terms of how one of the most representative manifestations of contemporary leisure culture, the cinema, was organized in rural areas during the 20th century. The study offers a chronological and architectural overview of the buildings that were once cinemas, from which we can see how the road and agricultural production are the axes that distinguish the buildings and allow us to understand their location in the environment and the layout of their industrially inspired façades. Other localities present singular buildings, whether they are newly constructed or adapted from previous leisure areas. In general terms, it can be said that the dynamics of leisure coincides with the urban growth of the localities towards areas of expansion around the road. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Satellite crop identification processes are increasingly being used on a large scale, both to verify the crop and to improve production. As it is necessary to study phenological data over a period of time across a large territory, a lot of storage space is needed to save the satellite images and a lot of calculation time to analyse all this information. Sensing periods are usually established based on subjective expert criteria or previous experience. However, this decision may cause several differences when discriminating crop patterns, besides not guaranteeing good precision. These processes would greatly improve if the appropriate time periods could be found systematically using the minimum number of satellite images in the shortest possible time. In this paper, we propose a new methodology to determine a suitable sensing period for crop identification using Sentinel-2 images, applying hill climbing algorithms to the training sets of neural network models. We have used the method successfully in the 2020 Common Agricultural Policy campaign in the Extremadura region, Spain. The article also describes the use of the method in a case on tobacco detection in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct payments are meant to support EU farmers being the main component of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and receiving special attention during the new 2014-2020 reform. First introduced in 1992 after MacSharry reform and known as coupled payments (payments per hectare and animal head), they were designed to support farmers income. In 2003, the decoupled payments focused at encouraging farmers have been introduced in order to enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of the EU agriculture. In Spain, in 2006 the new changes in the Single Payment Scheme (SPS) were introduced, at the beginning according to the regime of partial decoupling. In 2012, the coupled payments were integrated under the SPS or transformed into additional payment. The aim of this paper is to analyze the application of direct payments, as the main support tool for EU farmers based on Spain experience. In this context, the authors have used secondary data provided by the Spanish Agrarian Guarantee Fund (FEGA) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment of Spain (MAGRAMA) concerning the amount of allocated direct payments in Spain, number of beneficiaries and their distribution by territorial aspect. So far, the distribution of direct payments in Spain, similarly to other member states, is unequal, as a result of CAP development, diversity of production and the use of historical references to fix the decoupled payments per farm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The regional diversity of communal persistence in nineteenth-century Spain has been well documented by historiographers. Although the explanation of this divergence has been attributed to the social and environmental context, together with the prevailing market incentives, that characterized the different rural societies of this period, there has been no clear assessment of the role played by each of these factors. Through a comparative study of the historical data at the provincial level, this paper analyses the relative contribution of these elements to that divergence. The results diminish the significance of market signals and show how the social and environmental conditions interacted to limit, or promote, the dismantling of the common lands. Apart from the greater need to resort to the commons when it was necessary to increase agricultural production in dry regions, this paper highlights the role of unequal levels of access to land in promoting enclosure. The Spanish case illustrates the limitations of the theories that predict the inevitable drift towards individual property rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systematic studies of physico-chemical and stability-related properties, and chemical composition, of extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs) obtained from drupes cropped in specific regions are of special agricultural interest. This is particularly so with new production areas, where careful selection of the most suitable olive varieties for EVOO production is required. This paper reports the first comprehensive chemical characterisation of EVOOs obtained from three different olive varieties (viz., Picual, Morisca and Manzanilla de Sevilla) grown in a new cultivation area in Galicia (NW Spain). The Morisca variety was that providing the highest industrial oil yield (21%). However, the three types of EVOO exhibited no statistically significant differences in standard quality-related indices other than acidity. Morisca EVOO was that with the lowest content in oleic acid (mean = 68%) and highest content in linoleic acid (mean = 13%). Also, Morisca EVOO exhibited the highest sterol levels (mean = 1616 mg/kg) and Picual EVOO the lowest (mean = 1160 mg/kg). Picual EVOO contained greater amounts of the phenolic compounds luteolin and pinoresinol than both Morisca and Manzanilla de Sevilla EVOOs. Finally, Manzanilla de Sevilla EVOO exhibited differential attributes, with banana and olive fruit aromatic series prevailing predominantly over bitter-like, pungent-like and leaf series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the challenges that exist in Brazil, with respect to the institutionalization of geographical indications of agricultural food products, based on the European experience. The recent expansion in the number of experiences of differentiation has not been able to engender changes required to stabilize a system that currently shows up extremely fragile and lacking coordination. The study is based on a comparative approach between the Brazilian and European legal framework considering the existence of diverse experiences of geographical indications of Spain (Andalusia) and Rio Grande do Sul (Serra Gaucha). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyze the role of the policies that support organic agriculture in the sector promotion, from the case of Andalucia in Spain, the largest in area and number of operators in the country. To do this, in the first place, key policies at regional, national and supranational levels that have potentially affected the supply of the sector are identified. Then, the evolution of the main variables related to it is illustrated (surface, producers, demand, etc...). Based on the foregoing, it is concluded that the existence of a relationship between the aids to organic production and the sectoral development could be presumable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Traditionally, energy balances in agrarian production have been used to calculate the impact of food on the Spanish economy in physical terms. However, this tool is clearly insufficient. Human diet has undergone significant changes in recent decades. Between production and consumption, previously non-existent or insignificant processes such as transportation, packaging, processing, distribution, preservation, etc. have come to the fore. This article aims to evaluate the energy cost of the Spanish agri-food (AFS) system in the year 2000 with a view to ascertaining the relative importance of each link in the agri-food chain. This information is essential when it comes to designing any strategy for sustainable de-growth. The results of this research show that feeding the Spanish population is an inefficient process: the Spanish AFS currently consumes 1408 PJ, while all of its residents combined consume only 190 PJ. Agrarian production is effectively the main source of this inefficiency (34% of the primary energy consumed), but not the only one: processes such as the preservation and preparation of food in the home (18%), transportation (17%) and packaging (10%) show that the way we feed ourselves is not sustainable. The paper makes a strong point that a fundamental transformation of the AFS is required. A move towards organic farming and corresponding new consumption patterns (i.e., local, seasonal food, less meat consumption) may considerably reduce resource use in the AFS and contribute to sustainable de-growth in Spain. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Currently, agro-food cooperatives have not been making widespread use of websites despite the potential benefits of their successful integration and management. The advantages that websites offer include ease and reliability in processing orders, the increased quality of the services offered and improving relations with their stakeholders. In this context, the objective of this paper is to explore the level of website use among agrifood cooperatives, examining the history behind their adoption and the consequences of their implementation. For this purpose, it proposes a theoretical framework to identify these factors and reports on an empirical study of information obtained from a survey of Spanish agri-food cooperatives. The results of the study indicate that the adoption of websites is favoured by the site not being perceived as complex and by the managers having more training, among other factors. In view of these findings, it is suggested that it is important to make a more advanced use of the service, relating it correctly to the achievement of the company's objectives, in order to increase the adoption and extent of website use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to identify the determining factors of the agrarian crisis in Mediterranean Spain and the solutions agricultural cooperatives could provide. The methodology consists of the application of the Delphi Method through a questionnaire presented to experts in 2011. The conclusion of this study is that agricultural cooperatives represent an appropriate formula for facing threats and weaknesses in this sector. Implementing a competitive differentiation strategy based on quality is compatible with strategies to reduce production prices through the concentration of agricultural supply. Strategic alliances have the power to set up strategies aimed at improving professionalisation in management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper explains the process followed to generate the model used as a decision support tool for agricultural production planning in the most agrarian areas in Galicia (NW Spain). The model comprises three procedures that use 44 social, environmental and economic indicators developed using both monographic information and field data. The indicators allow for the selection of the most suitable crops and land uses for each agrarian area, and allow decision makers to define key factors for performing a diagnostic analysis and proposing relevant actions regarding agricultural production planning. The potential of the tool for defining a hierarchy of potential crops and land uses according to their degree of suitability has been illustrated by applying the model to one of the 88 Ecological and Economic Units studied (EEUs). The proposed model can be a useful tool for production managers, agricultural associations, governmental agencies and even non-governmental organizations in underdeveloped countries. The most innovative aspects of the model are the feasibility of grouping indicators to perform a diagnostic analysis of different scenarios, and that it can be adapted to any other region in the world, by adjusting the objectives of agricultural production planning and the corresponding indicators. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Pasture productivity depends on soil hydro-physical properties, which in turn are deeply affected by livestock grazing. However, the comparative response of different soil types, and particularly gypseous soil types, to grazing has hardly been studied before. This paper compares the effect of grazing on the soil hydro-physical properties of silty gypseous (Gy) and non-gypseous (NGy) soils located in a semi-arid region (Middle Ebro Valley, NE, Spain). Two different soil managements were selected: ungrazed natural shrubland (N) and grazed shrubland (GR) soils. The gypsum, CaCO3 and organic matter content (OM), soil texture, soil bulk density (ρ b ), penetration resistance (PR), saturated sorptivity (S), hydraulic conductivity (K), and the water retention curve (WRC) for undisturbed soil samples from 1 to 10cm depth soil layer were measured. The ρ b and PR in NGy soils were significantly higher than those observed in the Gy ones. Soil compaction due to grazing treatment tended to increase ρ b and decrease the K and S values. While no differences in PR were observed in the Gy soils between grazing treatments, the PR measured in the NGy soils under GR was significantly higher than the corresponding values observed under N. Differences in K and S between GR and N treatments were only significant (p <0.05) in NGy soils, where K and S values under the N treatment were almost four times greater than the corresponding values measured under GR. Overall, no differences in the WRCs were observed between soil types and grazing treatments. While the WRCs of NGy soils were not significantly affected by the grazing treatment, Gy soils under N treatment present a significantly higher level of soil macropores than under GR treatment. The hydro-physical features of Gy soils tended to be less affected by grazing than those of the NGy soils. These results suggest that livestock grazing, in both Gy and NGy soils, has a negative effect on the physical soil properties, which should be taken into account by land managers of these semi-arid regions where silty gypseous and non-gypseous areas coexist. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Low fruit set is common in many plant species and may be caused by a variety of factors, such as predation, resource limitation or deficient pollination, or it may be an evolutionary strategy. In this paper, we investigate factors that affect fruit set in Aristolochia baetica (Aristolochiaceae), a Mediterranean pipevine found in southwest Spain. Fruit production was monitored in two populations over 4 years (2002-2005), and the causes of flower or fruit loss were determined. Experimental hand-pollinations were performed, and germinated pollen grains on the stigmas of open-pollinated flowers were quantified. Fruit set was always very low (4-14%). Floral abscission initially reduced reproductive output by more than 50%; then herbivory (6-12%) and fruit abortion (8-26%) caused further reductions. Given that the number of efficiently pollinated flowers was always higher than that of ripe fruits, and that xenogamous hand-pollination did not increase fruit set in relation to open-pollination, the final fruit production of A. baetica seems not to be pollen-limited. Fruit abortion of effectively pollinated flowers supports the idea that resource availability limits fruit set. In A. baetica, fruit abortion could lead to mate selection of the best quality fruits. Moreover, the initiated fruits that finally abort could also satiate predators, contributing to increase progeny fitness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: For the last decades, many traditional farm buildings have lost their original function because of the great changes in the European agricultural sector. The respectful conversion of these derelict constructions to adopt new economic or social uses constitutes an interesting practise to protect the rural landscapes and to set in motion complementary gainful activities to the agricultural production. The starting of a regional or local scheme to protect the built heritage in a particular rural area requires an appropriate knowledge of construction techniques and typological characteristics of the traditional architecture. According to the practical experience of the author in Central Spain, this paper deals with the proposal of methodological bases for data collection and subsequent analysis of the vernacular constructions in a particular rural area. The systematic assessment of the suitability for reuse of old agricultural buildings by multicriteria decision-making techniques to ensure the preservation of the most valuable examples is also discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Since 2002, the Galician Administration (NW Spain) has been working in the development of a decision support system for Agricultural Production Planning. To this end, an initial decision tool, Gestop®, was developed. However, the tool had a number of limitations for practical use because of the lack of differentiated data about the real situation of farms. With a view to improving the initial tool, a combinatorial method (CM) was developed. Such a combinatorial method used official census data to classify farms based on the different production processes, sizes and geographical locations of farms, among other factors. The combinatorial method proved very useful as a source of differentiated data for the decision support system. Yet, validating the results using robust statistical methods was considered essential in order to guarantee the suitability of the model for use. This paper uses discriminant analysis (DA) techniques to validate the types of dairy farms obtained from the combinatorial method for Galicia. Results clearly validate the combinatorial method and its use as a data source for decision support systems in Agricultural Production Planning. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The objective of this paper is to estimate technical efficiency in the horticultural production sector in Navarra (Spain). Tomato and asparagus production are analysed separately. Both a non-parametric and a parametric approach to a frontier production function are used and the differences in the results are discussed. In a second stage we examine the degree to which the calculated efficiency correlates with a set of explanatory variables representing different features of farms such as size, factorial returns and economic performance. The results indicated that both tomato and asparagus production are relatively inefficient, with potential in both cases for reducing input or increasing output. These results hold regardless of whether the frontier was parametric or non-parametric. The estimated measures of technical efficiency were positively related with the partial productivity indices and negatively related with the cultivation costs per hectare. No conclusive results were obtained for the relation between size and efficiency. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Landscapes are the result of human societies interacting with their environment. • Transdisciplinary research is crucial for the study of long-term landscape dynamics. • Historical landscapes are facing degradation caused by Modern mechanisation. Cultural landscapes are the result of human societies interacting with their environment, which is reflected in the onset and evolution of social practices such as settlement and agricultural production. This paper discusses the results of a transdisciplinary research program carried out on the vineyard landscape of the Rioja Alavesa district, one of the main wine-producing regions of Spain, focusing on the deserted village of Torrentejo (Basque Country, Spain). The study of archival records, combined with extensive archaeological survey and excavation, as well as the intensive analysis of geoarchaeological core samples, permitted the reconstruction of a long sequence of human settlement and agricultural practices extending over ~4000 years. The oldest documented records refer to a Chalcolithic occupation, developed on a buried gypsisol and possibly related to the climatic event at 4.2 ka BP. After a long hiatus, four phases of landscape transformation were documented above this Chalcolithic occupation: (1) the formation of a nucleated village in the Early Middle Ages, represented by the construction of a terraced agricultural landscape, and its passage under the control of different seigneurial powers over the High Middle Ages; (2) the abandonment of the village during the Late Middle Ages and the subsequent concentration of settlement in the charted town of Bastida; (3) a complete reorganisation and expansion of the local terraced systems in the 18th–19th centuries, in a context of specialisation and commercialisation of agricultural production; and (4) present-day mechanisation and capitalisation. These results therefore offer an interesting overview on the complexity and diversity of the historical trends that lie beneath the vineyard landscape of Torrentejo, proving the value of interdisciplinary research approaches for the investigation of the role of human settlement and agriculture in the formation and evolution of agricultural landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]