New uses for old traditional farm buildings: The case of the underground wine cellars in Spain

Traditional buildings are important features of the rural landscape and a valuable documental source about rural technology and ways of life in the countryside. For the last 60 years many traditional farm buildings have lost their original function because of the great changes in the European agricultural sector. Their respectful conversion to adopt new activities provides economic, socio-cultural and landscape benefits for promoters and the whole rural community. Traditional wine caves used for the production and storage of wine are particular good examples of redundant rural buildings needing for viable new uses. The aims of this paper are to present the architectural features of these agro-industrial spaces and to discuss suitable new uses for them. The technical, socioeconomic and legal contexts of the reuse are also examined in the paper. The use of traditional wine cellars in the production of high-quality artisanal wines, cheeses and cured meats, for cultural activities, as restaurants, or in the production of mushrooms, among others, are viable reuse proposals according to the current needs in the Mediterranean rural areas. Nevertheless, special care must be taken when restoring these spaces in order to respect the identity and the aesthetic appeal of the ancient cellars and not to come into conflict with the planning and building regulations.     

西班牙、希腊油橄榄产业发展的经验与启示

中国是食用油消费大国,又是食用油缺乏的国家,食用油自给率只有35%左右。针对这一严峻形势,自2008年以来,党中央、国务院高度重视油茶等木本油料产业的发展,并将其作为保障食用油安全的国家战略选择。西班牙、希腊在推动油橄榄产业发展进程中积累了许多较为成熟的先进管理经验和技术,两国的管理制度值得我们借鉴。介绍了两国油橄榄产业发展情况和有关政策、措施,提出了推进我国油茶产业和油橄榄产业发展的相关建议,对推动我国油茶等木本油料产业科学持续健康发展具有较强的指导作用。     

The political economy of wine: How terroir and intra-sector dynamics affect land use in Spain

This paper provides a constructive critique of Corrine Cash's paper “Good governance and strong political will: Are they enough for transformation?”, published in volume 58 of Land Use Policy in 2016. By focusing on how intra-sector dynamics influence land use policies in conflicts revolving around urban sprawl, this paper aims to complement and, to some extent, widen the analytic lens deployed by Cash. The examination of the Spanish wine sector and its lack of zoning policies confirms Cash's argument about the need to go beyond discourses of ‘good governance’ and ‘strong political will’ to understand the dynamics underpinning real spatial processes. However, this exploration underscores the need to add layers of complexity to land use analyses, showing the relevance of intra-sector conflict and logics. In complicating any simplistic reduction of urban sprawl conflicts to rural–urban oppositions, the paper ultimately calls for a more dynamic and multiscalar planning theory to address complex governance issues.     

Knowledge and willingness to pay for organic food in Spain: Evidence from experimental auctions

The aim of this paper is to analyse the main determinants of consumers' knowledge and their willingness to pay for organic food products. Moreover, the relationship between knowledge and buying behaviour is explored. Virgin olive oil is taken as an example. Data was generated by way of an experimental auction carried out in two cities in northeast Spain. A three-equation model is estimated: (1) Consumer knowledge; (2) the decision to pay a premium for organic olive oil; and (3) how much premium consumers are willing to pay. Results indicate that socio-economic variables are main determinants of consumer knowledge, and that consumer attitude, lifestyle and knowledge all influence the decision to pay a premium for organic olive oil.     

Olive oil production and soil conservation in southern Spain, in relation to EU subsidy policies

The European Union spent about two billion ECU per year on subsidies for the olive oil sector, of which Spain received about 35%. For the rainfed areas in southern Spain the olive oil sector is crucial, and so are these subsidies. The European Commission has formulated two options to change the subsidy system, but these do not take the production systems and environmental aspects into account. Many olive plantations are affected by soil erosion. This paper analyses the olive tree production systems in southern Spain, the subsidy systems and the soil erosion problems. It then raises the question whether the subsidies could not be provided in a different way, in order to make olive tree cultivation more sustainable by reducing soil erosion and flood hazard.     

The positive impacts of irrigation schedules on rice yield and water consumption: synergies in Jilin Province,Northeast China

Food and water security in China are inextricably linked to the development of regional economy, especially for regions with temporary or sustained water shortage such as Jilin Province in northeast China. Water-saving irrigation practices are therefore urgently sought to maintain sustainable growth in grain production. To improve knowledge of the effect of irrigation water level on rice yield and water-use efficiency (WUE), we conducted a field experimental study over two growing seasons in central Jilin. The irrigation experiment included four schedules: (1) traditional irrigation (CK), (2) shallow wet irrigation (T1), (3) intermittent irrigation (T2), and (4) controlled irrigation (T3). Soil test pits were used to estimate evapotranspiration and seepage. The study showed that T3 had the highest WUE (1.64?kg/m³). However, the highest rice yield was found in T1 (9867?kg/ha¹) that achieved the second highest WUE (1.63?kg/m³). Compared with CK, T1 and T3 consumed 7.3% and 36.1% less water, respectively. If adopted at the operational scale, these two schedules could help reduce the pressure of local surface water supply and the production costs significantly. The results gained from this study could also have relevant implication in developing an effective irrigation management for other high-latitude regions.     

Loss of water availability and stream biodiversity under land abandonment and climate change in a Mediterranean catchment (Olzinelles,NE Spain)

In the north rim of the Mediterranean region, where forest cover is increasing as a result of land abandonment and temperatures are rising as a result of climate change, there is increasing interest for the effects of such changes on the runoff of water courses. This is a paramount issue for the conservation of many freshwater habitats and species. In this work we studied the effects of both an increase in forest cover after depopulation and land abandonment and an increase in temperature on the runoff of a Mediterranean catchment and on the aquatic and semi-aquatic fauna species of the stream (Olzinelles valley, NE Spain). Although in our simulation no decreasing trend in runoff is detected, the monthly runoff-rainfall ratio is now 15% lower than 30 years ago, a fact that may be attributed to a drier period rather than to the small afforestation experienced by the catchment in the last decades. Other factors such as increasing temperatures, changing rainfall patterns and increasing canopy cover are discussed. The observed decrease in the water flow has caused the disappearance of white-clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes), Mediterranean barbel (Barbus meridionalis), chub (Squalius cephalus), European eel (Anguilla anguilla), and southern water vole (Arvicola sapidus). Our results suggest that in a progressively warmer climate, and especially after land abandonment processes, management of Mediterranean mountain areas should be oriented towards an appropriate distribution of agrarian and forest land-covers in terms of water availability. Down to the stream scale, the pools that keep water throughout the year should be conserved and extended to enhance its potential to maintain aquatic and semi-aquatic species populations.