Fears in Spain over the creeping spread of “sterile soil” that could obliterate Europe’s kitchen garden have been fuelled by ongoing droughts and an overuse of land for industry and agriculture.
Gabriel del Barrio points to a hill where all that is left are stunted bushes and says, “This area used to be covered in a holm oak forest, but now the land is barren.”
This expert on desertification has been anxiously observing the daily deterioration of the terrain in Almeria, in the southern Andalusia province, while donning a pair of dusty sneakers and a canvas hat on his head.
According to del Barrio, a researcher at EEZA, the experimental center for study into dry zones, “Spain is not going to be a desert with dunes like in the Sahara; that’s morphologically impossible.”
But he adds that desertification, which is characterized by a serious “degradation of the soil” that reduces its ability for production, “is worrying.”
The typical culprits are on trial: global warming, which drives rising temperatures that increase water evaporation and wildfires, as well as human activity, which is the main offender, particularly because of intensive farming.
With 40,000 hectares of greenhouses, or its “Sea of Plastic,” Almeria has become Europe’s vegetable garden despite its extremely dry environment by producing thousands of tonnes of tomatoes, peppers, courgettes, and cucumbers.
By consuming groundwater and “depleting the aquifers,” adds del Barrio, these big crop-producing areas are aggravating the issue.
“Difficult position”
Even while the situation is dire, it is not unique to Almeria.
Spain is the country in Europe that faces the greatest threat from desertification, with climatic conditions threatening to cause desertification on 75% of its land, according to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.
“This puts us in a complicated position in which the combination of extreme temperatures, droughts, and other factors aggravate the risk of erosion and the loss of soil quality,” Spain’s Ecology Minister Teresa Ribera said in June.
The soil deterioration problem has tripled over the previous ten years, according to the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), which EEZA quotes. This problem is “irreversible on a human scale.”
And that means having soils that cannot hold onto water or organic matter, support crops, or feed cattle, which is a major problem in a nation where agriculture accounts for over 60 billion euros ($66 billion) in annual exports.
According to UPA, which represents small farmers and stockbreeders, “soil erosion is now the main problem for most farmers in Spain.” The organization warned that the situation was “serious” and may have a significant “economic cost.”
Seven years are needed for soil regrowth.
Some people in Andalusia have rolled up their sleeves and gotten to work as a result of the situation.
Owner of a 100-hectare almond farm in the Andes Juan Antonio Merlos, 40, says, “We have to act on our own whenever possible… and not give in to fate.”
Since taking over his parent’s farm three years ago, which has now been certified as organic, Merlos has implemented new “regenerative” procedures with a small group of farmers from an association called AlVelAl in an effort to “halt the soil erosion” in the area.
These farmers now utilize manure in place of artificial fertilizers, avoid using pesticides “which kill insects,” minimize the amount of plowing “which damages the soil,” and cover the soil with plant material to retain moisture during the few rains.
As Merlos inspects a few barley stalks he had planted beneath his almond trees, he remarks, “This is long-term labour, employing techniques that have been around for years.
But that doesn’t make him any less upbeat.
According to theory, regenerative agriculture takes seven years to produce results. However, I’ve already begun to observe differences in the soil and the insects,” he told AFP.
Environmental organizations strive for new farming methods by lowering irrigated areas and utilizing crops that use less water, in addition to pressing farmers to adopt new techniques.
The World Wildlife Fund stated that in a time of scarcity, “we need to adjust our needs in light of the available water resources to reduce the risk exposure of both people and our productive sectors.”
Del Barrio largely agrees.
He remarked, “We have to find a balance” between meeting food demands and protecting the earth.
To avert the threat of “lifeless” land, “we need to manage the soil in a way that makes it as sustainable as possible.”
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