Case study of the west of Almeria. Glocalization of the horticulture

Abstract

Forty years ago the west of Almeria formed a large field surrounded by few and spread houses. Currently this county is one of the most dynamic areas of the Spanish Mediterranean coast. The main sector that has sustained and maintained the prosperity of this area has been the intensive horticulture greenhouse. The agricultural actors and the network of companies and institutions created around the first (agricultural commercial enterprises, warehouse and different factories), have contributed to the development of what is called here the glocal political-economic dimension. This has led to intense changes in the analyzed territorial area, which serves as the scene of a social space in the glocalization processes. Glocalization processes, which are integrated by two factors that increasing social change. On the one hand, deterritorialization is resulting from the gradual occupation of the social and geographic space by glocalized agents (different companies of agricultural market), associated with local actors involved in the production of vegetables (farmers). On the other hand, under the reterritorialization, local space is experiencing a process of restructuring and reorganization of the agro-industrial activity. In this sense, there is a growing linkage of farmers at an agro-food system progressively governed by international institutions such as the European Union, the World Trade Organization and important multinational companies.