Unit 7

The EU primary

sector

3º ESO

1- What is the primary sector like in the EU?

Agricultural production

contributes 2% to EU GDP.

Just about a 5% of the

active population is

employed in this sector.

However, the EU is one of

the main exporters of agro-

food products and at the

same time the largest

importer of food.

Exercises 1 and 2 on page 83.

2- What is the primary sector like in Spain?

Up to the 1950’s Spain had a

agricultural-based economy.

From that moment economic

modernization, based on

industrialization, began, and

the primary sector started its

decline.

Importance

Although the primary sector provides

a low share of employment and GDP,

it continues to be very important:

● Spain has one of the strongest

primary sectors in the EU.

● Agricultural and fish products

provide raw materials for many

Spanish industries (agro-food

industries).

● Food represents 15% of the

value of Spanish exports.

1986 - Entrance to the EECIn 1986 Spain joined the EEC. From that moment the EU policies (CAP, CFP) had

affected our primary sector, which has been modernized.

Main changes:

● Farm size increase

● Use of technology

● Higher productivity

● Higher competitiveness

● New fruits and vegetables

● Modernization of fishing fleet

PROBLEMS:

● Loss of jobs

● Quotas on some products

Homework

Exercises 1, 2 and 3 on page 85.

3- What is agriculture like in Spain?

Arable agriculture uses almost a 35% of the total territory (of which 80% dry

crops and 20% irrigated crops).

Agricultural products provide more than 60% of the final agricultural

production.

Spain’s principal trading partners are other EU countries. Most of what we

import come from the EU.

4- What is the livestock sector like?

This sector is quite important in Spain.

In the past extensive livestock farming

linked to arable agriculture predominated.

Today, it is often independent from

agriculture, and intensive livestock farming

predominates.

Large investments, high mechanization,

and high output are the main

characteristics.

Homework

Exercises 1 and 2 on page 86.

5- What is the fishing sector like?

Spain is a great power in the fishing sector worldwide (catch, fleet,

consumption).

Traditional and commercial fishing co-exist.

Our continental shelf is narrow so it is not enough for us, therefore we have to

make fishing agreements with other countries.

Our main catch came in 2007

from the following fishing

grounds:

Homework

Exercises 1 and 2 on page 87.

6- New initiatives in rural areas

● Ecological agriculture and livestock breeding

● Aquaculture

● Rural tourism

● Agro-food industry

● Construction of second homes

● Energy production (solar and wind farms)

These activities can help to stop population decline in rural areas in Spain.

Ecological agriculture and livestock breeding

Aquaculture

Rural tourism

Construction of second homes

Energy production (solar and wind farms)

7- What problems are there in this sector?

Weak points:

● Small and ageing population.

● High proportion of small and

medium sized farms.

● Low productivity of dry farming.

● Low productivity of extensive

livestock farming and dependence

on intensive livestock production.

Homework

Exercises 2 and 3 on page 89.

8- Agricultural landscapes of Spain

Humid Spain (Atlantic landscape)

● Galicia and the Cantabrian coast.

● Oceanic climate favours grasslands

and natural pastures so extensive

livestock farming is common.

● Scattered communities

predominate.

● Bocage is the most common

(small, fenced plots).

● PROBLEMS: strong dependence on

the dairy industry and limitations

because of the EU quotas.

Humid alpine landscape● High altitude areas.

● Scattered communities.

● Bocage.

● Use of terracing to cultivate on

slopes.

● Subsistence mixed cropping /

polyculture of subsistence.

● Forestry and livestock

predominate.

● Underpopulated areas.

● EU policies to improve life in these

areas.

Continentalized inland

● Inland Spain

● Concentrated communities

● Differences by regions:

o Ebro/Duero valleys: small

plots

o Southern and arid regions:

openfields and mainly dry

crops.

o Western area: great landed

estates combining forestry

and farming. (dehesas)

Warm mediterranean landscape

● Mediterranean coast, Balearic islands,

Guadalquivir basin and South Atlantic

coast.

● Concentrated communities.

● Dry crops (mediterranean trilogy) in

Guadalquivir Valley and mountainous

regions.

● Irrigated crops in coastal areas (market

gardening).

● Livestock farming: sheep and goats in

dry areas, and bullfight cattle in the

Guadalquivir basin.

Canary islands landscape

● Unique landscape due to

its warm and arid climate

and the volcanic nature.

● Arable farming in coastal

plains (plantation).

● Terracing methods inland

higher altitude)

Homework

Exercise 2 on page 90.