Socio-economic evolution of horticultural farms in Andalusia since 1991

Horticultural farms in Andalusia cannot be time analysed as a whole because of: spatial interactions due to geographical position, their cropping structure and their resource consumption, mostly water in Andalusia. The aims of this research are: to describe the socio-economic structure (cultivated area, hand labour level, total costs: and net margin evolution) of horticultural farms in a very diversified agricultural area and to determine the patterns of different geographical regions related to unfavourable weather conditions. Two horticultural regions have been described in Granadan agriculture: coastal horticulture and open-air horticulture in river valleys. Protected crops in the coastal horticulture of Granada, with very intensive care and technology, show us a balanced economic pattern on average: growing total costs, stable net margin and, finally, with a very sensitive employment level. Drought reduces the employment level, changes the cropping sequence and increases resource consumption, except hand labour, in the coastal protected crops. Open-air horticulture using irrigation shows a stable socio-economic pattern on average, which on several occasions can be more profitable than a farm with protected crops. Farmers adapt their business strategy according to drought periods. Hand labour consumption remains constant (slightly increasing) when water is sufficient for cultivation. On the other hand, total costs and net margins (because of prices) are higher if water disposal decreases. The evolution of averaged net mat-gin per hand labour unit is more variable in open-air horticulture than in coastal horticulture with protected crops. This important parameter can be higher in the first group of farms when weather conditions are unfavourable, but decreases in normal conditions due to: urbanistic pressure, strategies based on subsidised crops, reduced cultivation area and lower prices.