The concentration of livestock production is problematic due to environmental concerns. European regulations are guiding the sector to become increasingly sustainable and, at the same time, maintaining the population in rural areas. The aim was to determine suitable areas in municipalities where livestock is presented as a market option. The methodology applied was based on the combination of multi-criteria methods and geographic information system (GIS) techniques, following three steps: removal of unsuitable zones by sectoral regulations (STEP 1); removal of unsuitable zones due to urban planning, and environmental recommendations (STEP 2); and evaluating the resulting areas depending on the importance of socio-economic, sectoral, and environmental characteristics. This study was based in a Spanish region with ongoing conflicts over land use on the coast but with a high number of rural municipalities at risk of depopulation in the interior. The results showed that 33% of the municipalities of the Valencian Community (VC) had suitable and outranking areas for the development of the swine sector. The 43 municipalities with the highest scores were because of the socio-economic factor and confirmed that suitable livestock development in municipalities with the highest risk of depopulation and low rural tourism activity was a key issue for development.
Aim of study: To study the relationship between the problem odours caused by livestock farms and the evolution of rural tourism.Area of study: A coastal region in Spain, the Valencian Community.Material and methods: The odour emission rates of 4,984 farms have been calculated, and the ambient odour concentration was determined to assess the odour nuisance. The odour concentration was modelled by applying the Gaussian model based on emission data and the most unfavourable meteorological conditions of the 45 climatic stations distributed throughout the analysis area. The dispersion model was implemented in a geographic information system, deducing the municipalities affected using the odour concentration thresholds. Furthermore, the evolution of rural tourism in municipalities was studied during the period of 2006-2017. The relationship between the evolution of rural tourism and the effects of odours is studied by means of a bivariate spatial correlation analysis.Main results: Pigs are the predominant species in areas with the greatest odour emission problems; ~ 29% of farms can result in annoyances among the population with odour concentrations greater than 5 OU/m3, and 46% of municipalities can be affected by odour problems. These odour nuisances had negative consequences in the municipality where measures were carried out to favour rural development, such as rural tourism. Municipalities were detected in which the problem of odours can be a deterrent to rural tourism, whereas in other municipalities it was observed that minimizing livestock activity can be a method to promote rural tourism.Research highlights: This study provides a methodology that allows modeling the odour dispersion of livestock and relates its implications to rural tourism. Municipalities have been identified where livestock odours can cause a stagnation of the rural tourism income.
Las reformas de las políticas europeas han evolucionado en busca de un modelo que permita a la agricultura y ganadería en las zonas rurales reconocer funciones como la conservación del medioambiente y el paisaje rural y la contribución de las zonas rurales al desarrollo de un territorio equilibrado. Sin embargo, para que el sector ganadero contribuya a estas funciones, debe corregir los riesgos sectoriales y ambientales que genera. Uno de los elementos clave para corregirlo es la planificación espacial de la ganadería. En áreas con mayor concentración ganadera el riesgo potencial es alto y la detección de riesgos es más compleja. El objetivo de este estudio es proponer y validar un procedimiento mediante Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG) que permita evaluar el riesgo de las explotaciones ganaderas teniendo en cuenta los criterios sectoriales, sociales y ambientales. Asimismo, se ha aplicado a la Comunidad Valenciana, una región con áreas de alta densidad de ganado con sistemas de producción intensiva, compuesta por 4984 granjas de las distintas especies ganaderas. Los resultados han identificado las áreas más problemáticas por incumplimiento de la legislación vigente. En la Comunidad Valenciana se han detectado principalmente dos áreas sensibles. En el área más problemática el 40% de las explotaciones están incumpliendo las normas vigentes, ninguna de las explotaciones respeta la distancia a otras explotaciones y, además, la mitad de estas no cumplen la distancia a los núcleos urbanos. En la otra área problemática el 33% de las explotaciones incumple las distancias mínimas a los núcleos urbanos y otras explotaciones. Estos resultados proporcionan información valiosa para diseñar y aplicar mejores políticas sectoriales, sociales y ambientales por parte de las administraciones públicas, responsables de la gestión de las actividades pecuarias y del territorio, a fin de reducir los riesgos para la población cercana a las explotaciones ganaderas. Palabras clave: Política Agraria Común, riesgos medioambientales, riesgos para la salud pública, distancia entre granjas, densidad ganadera. Geographic Information Systems detection of problematic areas of intensive livestock farming for non-compliance with the regulations in force: the case of the Valencian Community
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