Interrogating sustainable productivism: Lessons from the ‘Almerían miracle’

Juntti, Meri; Downward, Stuart D.

doi:10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.04.016

Cited by 16 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…This process is known as the "Green pest management revolution", turning the province of Almería into a Mediterranean and Worldwide reference about the successful application of Biological Control strategies [4]. Juntti and Downward [5] refer to IPM evolution in Almeria as one of the successful moves to "green" Almeria's horticultural production, driven by market demands.…”

Section: The Opportunity For a Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Almeria’s Green Pest Management Revolution: An Opportunity That Arose from a Food Safety Alert

2022

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Almería, a province of Spain, is the leader in horticultural production on a Spanish and European scale. The specific conditions of greenhouse cultivation favor plant development, but also the proliferation of pests. This high incidence of pests was controlled in the past mainly by means of chemical phytosanitary treatments. The aim of the present work has been to analyze the tools facilitated by the Andalusian Government (Junta de Andalucía) to replace the usual pest management process, taking advantage of the context of the food safety alert arising from the detection of isophenphos-methyl in peppers from the province of Almeria in December 2007. The results illustrate that, unlike many programs of public subsidies which involve long-term expenditure, the aid in question took advantage of the socioeconomic situation following the food safety alert. The program led to substantial economic savings and met its objectives swiftly, achieving excellent results in terms of removing most of the pesticides used in the “conventional production system”. In the 2006–2007 season, only 515 hectares in Almería used biological control organisms, four years later, it reached 20,081 hectares, and the average area during the last ten years was 24,953 hectares. This shows that Almeria’s green pest management revolution had been consolidated.

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Section: The Opportunity For a Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Almeria’s Green Pest Management Revolution: An Opportunity That Arose from a Food Safety Alert

2022

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“…Efforts aimed at alleviating negative effects of price shocks will not solve the multiple issues that are undermining the competitiveness of the agricultural sector in Almería and jeopardizing its future, such as the deterioration of water resources, the lack of local flagship products not available elsewhere 29 , or the opening of the EU to other markets. The reality is that a fundamental resource, water, is being depleted at an alarming rate in an already dry area where the effects of climate change are expected to be significant 30 .…”

Section: Fig 2 Environmental Impact Associated With Vegetables Discarded In Andalusia In 2018 and 2019mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Specifically regarding water, there are labelling schemes that certify the efficiency of water use 37 but not a quality label certifying that groundwater bodies are not being overexploited. This can be counterproductive if environmental sustainability continues to be seen through a productivist lens, concerned with profit maximization through resource efficiency gains as with drip irrigation technology 29 . In that sense, it seems more logical to opt for certifications that integrate various product attributes into a single label, including environmental (e.g., carbon and water footprint, impacts on biodiversity, use of organic farming) and social (e.g., fair trade and working conditions) factors.…”

Section: Moving Forwardmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discarded food and resource depletion

2020

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Food systems are permeated by perverse incentives which often lead to food being discarded before entering the market and to the depletion of natural resources. Tomato production in the water scarce province of Almeria, in Spain, illustrates the problem and highlights the urgent need for policies that ensure ethical and environmental sustainability standards.Over one third of the food produced globally is not consumed 1 , of which approximately 14% corresponds to post-harvest loss 2 . In most high-income countries, the primary reason for this is to control prices that, due to excess of produce in the market, may fall below production costs 3 . Furthermore, food being discarded is often produced unsustainably and contributes to the depletion of natural resources. Yet, some countries and supranational administrative units like the European Union (EU) offer subsidies to compensate farmers for losses associated with price fluctuations, often strengthening already extremely competitive sectors 4 .The province of Almería in Andalusia, Spain illustrates these problems well. One of the main vegetable production centers in the world, its agricultural model became known as the "Almeriense economic miracle" 5 . Despite poor quality soils 6 and one of the lowest per capita incomes in Spain in the 1950s 7 , the arrival of greenhouse agriculture in the 1960s made it the core of the province's demographic and socio-economic development in recent decades, supporting most of Andalusia's international agri-food trade 8 .

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“…In particular, the Spanish horticultural sector has been affected by recurring crises arising from two main sources. First, the ineffective management of problems common to this sector, such as the excessive use of fertilisers and pesticides, resulting in low-quality production and consumption (Wainwright et al, 2014); the environmental degradation (Grindlay et al, 2011;Juntti and Downward, 2017); and the bad social conditions for immigrant workers (Medland, 2016;Pumares and Jolivet, 2014). Second, erroneous accusations spread through the mass media blaming food safety practises for environmental and social risks, originated both in Spain and in other countries.…”

Section: Image Crisis In the Food Industry: Conceptual Delimitation Typology And Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring the impact of crises in the horticultural sector: the case of Spain

Mesa

Serrano-Arcos

Sánchez‐Fernández

2019

BFJ

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on image crises in the food industry as well as provide a diachronic analysis to distinguish between the varying types of crises that played a critical role in the horticultural sector in recent decades, focussing on the particular case of Spain as the largest horticultural exporter in Europe. This research also analyses the economic impact of these crises upon demand. Design/methodology/approach An empirical analysis has been conducted using inverse demand models to determine the prospective impact on demand of the image crises in the main European destination markets. Findings The empirical analysis reveals an immediate impact upon demand (imports) in the short term. Sector crises invariably have one or many “explosion” points when they reach the public sphere. These events reduce demand among European consumers, ultimately leading to a decrease in imported goods. The tested models revealed considerably significant losses that subsequently reduce annual exports by more than 3 per cent. The analysis also reveals strong effects of complementarity and substitution among the various products that comprise the horticultural supply. Research limitations/implications This study has not taken into account several movements that have also affected the horticultural sector, such as “anti-consumption” and boycotts. Empirical results reveal a strong impact of image crises on demand (imports) in the short term. Consequently, there is an evident need to undertake actions, managed from the supply origin, that reach the consumer and effectively re-establish the prestige of the Spanish production system. Practical implications This paper highlights the importance of the mass media in consumer attitudes and perceptions, and the need to create channels of direct communication to break the information asymmetry between production and consumption areas. Originality/value This paper sheds new light on the literature of image crises. The findings of this research have contributed to greater knowledge of how image crises influence demand. From the point of view of management, these results can have practical implications for the highly competitive sector of horticultural production.

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Interrogating sustainable productivism: Lessons from the ‘Almerían miracle’

Cited by 16 publications

References 33 publications

Almeria’s Green Pest Management Revolution: An Opportunity That Arose from a Food Safety Alert

Almeria’s Green Pest Management Revolution: An Opportunity That Arose from a Food Safety Alert

Discarded food and resource depletion

Measuring the impact of crises in the horticultural sector: the case of Spain

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