Die Industrialisierung der Reiswirtschaft in den Marismas des Guadalquivir in Spanien

Abstract

The rice landscapes of the Marismas, the marshlands at the lower Guadalquivir river in Southern Spain, reflect the dynamic development of the rice sector since the initial colonization of the area by private companies. The excellent natural conditions for rice and the young socioeconomic structure favored farming at a large scale and a progressing introduction of agricultural and organizational innovations. This paper deals with recent structural changes caused by mechanization, rationalization and capitalization that also mark fields and settlements. The dynamic industrialization process of rice growing at the Southern periphery of Europe leads to the development of a joint production system including the integration of rice farmers, suppliers, the service sector and rice factories. The complex economical, social and ecological consequences of this process indicate also problems and risks of industrial rice growing, especially referring to agropolitical changes, high capitalization, the dualism of large rice farms and underemployed peasants, the increasing dependence from a great industrial company, the competition for increasingly scarcer water resources, the environmental risks of agrochemical products and the spatial neighborhood with natural parks.