Competition among agriculture and other sectors for water and land use: A case study of agricultural activity in the southern regions of Spain

Abstract

The southern area of the province of Alicante (Spain) embraces the regions Vega Baja del Segura (The Low Valley of The Segura River) and Bajo Vinalopó (Low Vinalopó) in the Valencian Community. Although both regions have a growing residential, touristy and industrial potential, agriculture is still an important activity here. In this study, a characterization of agricultural land distribution in the southern regions of Alicante is carried out, regarding the main crops where the most important current problems are irrigation water shortage and low harvest prices. Incomes received by farmers according to the level of harvest prices and the evolution of these prices in the last two years are studied. Besides, prices have been noticed to keep stable at the best. The evolution of land for different uses, mainly industrial, is also estimated. The competition for land and water use with other sectors has significantly increased the amount of land for these uses and what is more, it is still on increase.

Keywords

• mediterranean europe
• local scale
• agricultural sector
• hydrological resources