From Granada we went back down to the coast and drove east towards Almería. In this area you drive miles and miles through an endless sea of plastic tent farms. The tents are really just everywhere and it feels like they never runs out. It looks rather sad, but is of course an important production from an economic point of view.
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ShareMillions of tonnes of vegetables
According to Wikipedia, millions of tonnes of vegetables are exported to Europe and other parts of the world from this area every year. Apparently cucumbers, tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes, peppers and melons are grown here.
Complex
One gets the impression of a productive industry involving lots of companies and workers. But as usual, reality is complex and activities that involve money often include many other aspects as well.
I'm not an expert, but when I google, I come across discussions ranging from land exploitation leading to the spread of the desert to the underpayment of workers, often immigrants from Africa. As usual, there are several sides to the coin, right? We have now reached a campsite by the sea. We'll tell you more when we have time to look around!
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Ditte says:
There are probably many thoughts about this. But on the other hand, jobs are offered and the export of these products is important for other EU countries further north. Hope you soon get to see all the beautiful almond trees, lemon and orange trees because they are more invigorating.
27 February 2015 - 11:48
BP says:
Yes, these plastic farms are everywhere on the Costa Blanca too. Better get used to it!
27 February 2015 - 16:55
Rolle o Carina says:
There you can say that it looks like it's just canvas!
But it's good that we get healthy vegetables up in the north:-)
Take care........
27 February 2015 - 17:46
Henny says:
Recognise the greenhouses from Tenerife, from above they actually looked like a sea. But it is not beautiful, perhaps necessary anyway to get the best possible harvest.
27 February 2015 - 18:14
Matts Torebring says:
This is disgusting to say the least. SVT has made a documentary on TV about this particular area. I found it on SVT Play when we came home from our trip. We would stay a few nights at a Camping San José. Then we drove through this area and along the coast.
Miles and miles of plastic roof and this was in the middle of summer.
After a night at the campsite, we literally ran away from there. When we had dinner, I killed "500" flies. The whole air was full of flies. We drove early in the morning and some people walked with a fly swatter in their hands, just to keep the flies away from their faces.
Probably all the flies are formed from decaying fruits that are just tipped out into the open. TV showed black slaves working under roofs in 50-60 degree heat. Twenty men ate food from a communal pot with a spoon. The slaves were not allowed to leave the crops and were not well seen outside the plastic roofs.
It was terrible to see this documentary on TV.
27 February 2015 - 20:17
Marianne Halvarsson says:
What are the names of films, etc.
30 September 2017 - 8:00
Anonymous says:
I agree.No more vegetables that are not when grown.Think of all the life in the sea that dies because of the plastic.And people work as slaves.Then I take care of the beautiful readership etc.as someone mentioned.
27 August 2021 - 13:46
Janet scott says:
I agree.No more vegetables from Spain for me.Think of the sea and especially people working as slaves.
27 August 2021 - 13:51
admin says:
Ditte, lemon and orange trees sound nicer!
🙂
BP, ok we are getting used to it... both this and the siesta!
😉
Rolle o Carina, a bit ironic that we are looking for tents... and we see tents everywhere.
😉
Henny, I understand that this is available in many places!
Matts, it sounds awful what you're talking about! It is always difficult to judge what reality looks like, but it sounds scary! Everything about money has a downside... Flies don't sound fun either...
27 February 2015 - 20:28
Lena & Jan says:
No, the flies do not originate from rotten vegetables/fruit, it is removed daily, otherwise you get unhealthy diseases in your crops!
Rather think that fly eggs ripen in the sand at the beaches and they do not hatch until it has been really hot for some time, then the campsite is close to the beach there is a lot of good for the flies if Spaniards and tourists do not empty / pack their garbage properly!
27 February 2015 - 21:33