Class XIV international seminar trip Reports February 16-March 1, 2010
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- REAL ESTATE IN SPAIN AND MOROCCO Burton Harmon
- References
- Livestock Production of Spain and Morocco Scott Sproul
- Grain crops of Spain and Morocco Tim Taylor
- REFERENCES: www.reuters.com www.countrystudies.us/spain Horticulture Crops of Spain and Morocco Charles Rohla
- Area and production for the main vegetable crops in Almeria, Spain (1998)
- 2002 World Greenhouse Vegetable Production Area (ha)* Country Production Area (ha)
- SPAINS’S/MOROCCO’S GOVERNMENT Submissions by: JOHN COTHREN ANNETTE RIHERD MARY STEICHEN
MOROCCO Morocco is a country located in the northern tip of Africa. The country is located south of Spain just across the Strait of Gibraltar. Morocco has a total land mass of 44.7 million hectares (110.3 million acres), however, only 8.55 million hectares (21.1 million acres) is arable with only 1/7 of this land having irrigation. Unlike Spain, Morocco’s economy is highly reliant on agriculture. This reliance does not necessarily show in the make up of their GDP, but nearly 40% of their entire country’s 32 million people depend on agriculture for a living. Morocco’s total GDP is worth $128.3 billion dollars or roughly less than 1% of that of the United States. The entire economy of Morocco is considered to be the 54th largest economy in the world. Morocco is highly reliant on agriculture to aide in feeding their country but has to import many goods such as grains, sugar, coffee and tea. More than 40% of Morocco's consumption of grains and flour is imported from the United States and France. Exports include fish, vegetables, citrus, olive oil and wine. The majority of their exports are sent north through Spain then traveling throughout Europe. REFERENCES: "Agriculture in Morocco." Agriculture in Morocco. Wikipedia. Web. 15 Mar. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture_in_Morocco "Agriculture in Spain." Agriculture in Spain. Wikipedia. Web. 15 Mar. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture_in_Spain Solsten, Eric, and Sandra W. Meditz. Spain-Agriculture. Tech. Library of Congress. Web. 15 Mar. 2010. http://countrystudies.us/spain/57.htm Spain GDP Growth Rate. Rep. Trading Economics. Web. 15 Mar. 2010. http://tradingeconomics.com/Economics/GDP-Growth.aspx?Symbol=ESPSpain. Rep. The Tellus Mission. Web. 15 Mar. 2010. http://www.ceja.educagri.fr/en/pays/espa.htm REAL ESTATE IN SPAIN AND MOROCCO Burton Harmon The way I approached this assignment was to look up a few properties for sale in Spain and Morocco. This was a great topic to do a power point presentation on, however this is a little tougher to write about. It is hard to find very much information written in English. The first property in Spain was called a farm on the web site, but is not much of a farm in my book. I included it anyway. This property was 2.249 m2, with three houses on it. It has a view of the sea for a whopping 542.000 euro. That is $811,211 for 0.000555 acres. It does have a roof top pool with white stucco walls and red clay roofs. The next property is a better example of a true farm. This farm is located in Alicante. This place is a little heavy on the houses, just like the first property. This one has five. This is a multi use property with farm ground, vineyards and game farms, totaling 718 HA. The asking price of 9.000.000 euro is approximately $13,470,300.00. At 1,774 acres that is almost $7600 per acre.
price per acre is comparable at $10,921. That is $808,218 for 74.13 acres. For all of you who are wandering that is 540.000 euro for 30HA. Near the town of Cordoba is the most interesting farm that I located for sale in Spain. This is not the largest I found at only 300 ha (220 ha of olive plantation and 80 ha of grazing land), but it has the most. This farm has a fully automatic irrigation, with computerized fertilization, huge water reservoirs and pumping stations. The very complete machine park includes ten modern tractors, harvesting machinery, pick up trucks and all the necessary tools. The stables will hold 70 horses and most of the horse feed is raised on the farm. The horses are looked after by a permanent staff of two, there is an additional staff of six for the rest of the farm, and more are hired during the harvest season.
kitchen and living room. As far as olive production, 75% of the olives are for consumption. The remaining 25% are for oil production. There are subsidies available for approximately 20-30% of the market price. Speaking of price you are probably wandering what the the grand total is, drum roll please, tap tap tap tap tap........ 12.000.000 euros that comes to $17,960,400 for about 741 acres. The price per acre is irrelevant, but with all the extras it comes to $24,238. There are only two farms that I found available in Morocco. The first was near El Jadida. This farm is 2.5 ha located on a blacktop road with electricity. The price is non negotiable at 70.000 euros. That is $105,070 for 6.2 acres. In dollars per acre this property seems high at over $16,000! The last property is a 7 acre apple farm located in the city of Midelt. The price is a100.000 euros. That is $150,050 in U.S. dollars. That comes to $21,435 per acre. After traveling to Spain and Morocco, I have new insight about the real-estate market and building industry there. For instance, in Morocco the buildings in the cities were concrete framed with red tile bricks for walls. The walls were then covered, by hand with concrete. For the most part this was the only form of constructing large buildings. Unlike the United States there were not many land for sale signs, in fact I only saw one, and it was for a citrus grove. If you were going to sell land in Morocco this would be the year to sell, because everything was wet and green. The thing that stood out to me in Spain was the fact that with all of the green houses a half a hector farm really is realistic. In Spain, there are 27,000 hectors of green houses. These allow numerous people to make a living on a small amount of land each. Another thing that stood out was the fact that it was hard to tell where one farm stopped and another farm started, even in the olive and farm country. Here in the U.S. you can usually tell where one farm stops and another starts, farming practices, fencing and just general up keep are distinguishing factors. I could not see those differences in Spain. The last thing that I noticed was there were several large abandoned buildings along the road ways. It seemed that at one time Spain was a growing and prosperous country then fell on hard times and the buildings were abandoned. When the next good times came the buildings were not reused or torn down, they are just forgotten. Spain is in the middle of this world wide “economic crisis” and it will be interesting to see if they abandon these buildings and start over or will they reuse what is there? References: http://www.iberianature.com/directory/farming-in-spain/ http://countrystudies.us/spain/57.htm http://www.ceja.educagri.fr/en/pays/espa.htm http://www.realigro.com/properties-for-sale-spain/Land-for-sale-Spain.php http://realestate.classifieds1000.com/Spain/Andalusia_/Plot_in_Andalusia_1 http://www.allspanishproperty.com/148_listing_Commercial-Properties__Organic-Olive- Farm-for-sale-in-Spain.html http://www.allspanishproperty.com/90_listing_Rural-Property__Olive-farm-for-sale-in- Alpujarra.html http://www.imagesofandalucia.com/properties_detail.php?cat=29&property_id=722 http://farms.glo-con.com/property.php?property_no=AD1_24953 http://farms.glo-con.com/property.php?property_no=AD1_16706 http://www.moulin.nlspain-farm-for-sale.html Livestock Production of Spain and Morocco Scott Sproul Agriculture in Spain has many similarities to agriculture in the United States. Types of production such as animals and crops parallel those that we Americans produce to feed ourselves and the world. Spain is one of the largest countries in Western Europe and has a climate that is much like we are used to here in Oklahoma. It can be bitterly cold in the winter months but change to a sweltering heat in the summer. With this extreme change in climate from season to season and the different types of terrain that are scattered throughout the country, there is a diverse amount of species of animals produced in Spain to utilize productivity from the forages and grains produced. Swine, Poultry, Beef, and Mutton are the main livestock produced in Spain, and they are mostly produced for meat consumption. The swine industry is the most important meat producing livestock sector in Spain’s agriculture. Spain’s total number of swine number only eleven million head, which is a fraction of the 116 million head of pigs located in the United States. Swine production in the northern regions of Spain is somewhat similar to that here in the United States. The pigs are concentrated and grown until ready for slaughter. Although it is not on as large of a scale as what we see here in western Oklahoma and other parts of the United States, it is fashioned in a similar way. This is in a large part due to the production of grains and the forages necessary to grow the animals. A higher rainfall amount annually enables more modern farming practices to be used and the land is able to be more productive. Small grains are produced and are able to be fed back to the swine to grow them. When you move to the central uplands and higher elevation areas of Spain, the climate becomes more arid and the land is not as productive. Some swine production occurs in this area but these animals are generally un-penned and not fed the higher concentration diets as those in the northern regions. The swine production of Spain has some similarities that we practice in America but not on as large of a scale. The poultry industry in Spain has experienced a rapid growth in numbers and production. Most of the poultry produced in Spain is for meat production much like it is done here in the United States. Catalonia, located along the northeast coast of Spain, has played home to the expanding poultry industry. This is due to the highly productive land, which many different crops and grains, such as maize, are produced to feed the chickens. The demand for chicken has increased partly due to the outbreak of BSE in some European countries. People have changed to poultry products feeling they are consuming a safer product. The cattle industry of Spain has some similarities and some differences to the cattle industry of the United States. Five million head of cattle occupy Spain, which is small in comparison to the 101 million head located here in the United States. The dairy industry makes up a large portion of the cattle numbering 1.9 million head, nearly half of the total numbers. Oxen make up 25% of the total cattle numbers, as they are used for draft purposes. One unique industry within the cattle sector is the bulls produced for the bull rings. This make up 2% of the cattle produced in Spain. The main cattle areas are again located in the north and northwest regions where the land is more productive and rain is more prominent. Sheep production on the other hand is a much larger industry in Spain than in the United States. Total sheep numbers total 17 million head which is much larger than the 2.5 million head we occupy here. Sheep are becoming increasingly more popular for meat production. They are primarily used for producing wool, milk and cheese. The sheep in Spain are mostly raised in the central parts of the country where the elevations are higher and less grass is grown. The sheep are able to utilize these areas more efficiently than some of the other species of livestock produced in Spain. Animal agriculture in Spain is comparable to that here in the United States. The same types of animals are produced, much like we do, but only in smaller numbers. Reflecting back on the trip and having the opportunity to see animal production in Spain, there are ways that the Spanish are more advanced and other ways they are years behind the Americans in production agriculture. One way I felt they were ahead of us was in terms of their use of cooperatives. The Covap cooperative we visited outside of Cordoba amazed me in terms of how they work with producers in all aspects of their production. They did this from providing feed for the livestock all the way to the final marketing of the products produced. On the other hand the ranch we visited in Spain had a very big challenge with the low demand of beef in Spain. I also found it interesting how they do not castrate or dehorn any of the bulls produced in the country. Moroccan agriculture is somewhat similar to that of Spain and the United States. Morocco has a slightly larger land area but smaller population than Spain by about ten million people. Fifty percent of the total land in Morocco is used for agriculture and grazing and 40% of the population is involved in agriculture. But one of the biggest factors affecting the agriculture crops and production in Morocco is the sporadic rainfall from year to year. Although, the 2009 rainfall totals look to show improved outputs in the Moroccan agriculture industry. As a whole, the same livestock species are grown in Morocco and Spain with the exception of swine. This is due to the overwhelmingly large Muslim population. Poultry, sheep, cattle and goats are the top livestock species that are raised, along with a small amount of donkeys, mules, horses, and camels. Sheep, cattle, and goats provide nearly all of the red meat production. Most of the red meat is produced in extensive systems based upon vegetation and crop by-products. According to ilri.org, “estimates indicate that the contribution of livestock production to total agriculture production declined from one-third in 1969 to less than one-quarter in 1987”. Most of the farmers in Morocco own less than five hectares of land, but they have 60% of the cattle and 50% of the sheep on one quarter of cultivable land. Most Moroccan farmers invest in livestock as insurance against crop failure. Sheep and goat production are large parts of the Moroccan livestock industry. There are 16 million sheep and nearly five million goats in the country. Sheep production numbers are much smaller in the United States, but the trends in numbers are much the same. United States sheep numbers have fallen over a sixty year period from 56 million head in 1942 to the current 2.5 million head today. Moroccan sheep production is declining in importance of economic activity, but is moving toward more integration within crop production areas. This is largely due to the degradation of forests and rangeland because of poor management. Most of the sheep are compromised of local breeds with a small portion of imported meat breeds being brought in for cross breeding for meat production. Goat production numbers are similar in Morocco and the United States with Morocco having 4.8 million and the U.S. having and little over 3 millions goats. These animals are produced for meat and milk production much like in America. U.S. goat production has been rapidly increasing unlike that of Morocco which has stayed steady. American goat production has been increasing mostly due to the increase in the Hispanic culture. Cattle production in Morocco includes three main systems of production, which are dairy, mixed, and beef. This is somewhat similar to our cattle production except we are mostly beef production with some dairy. Cattle numbers are much smaller in Morocco than here in the United States. Morocco has a total of 2.5 million cattle compared to the 100 million head here in the United States. Dairy production is similar to what we see in America only on a much smaller scale. High production Holstein and Friesian breeds, like those in the U.S., are based on irrigated land where adequate forages and feed concentrates are produced to feed the cows. Production varies but in some of the more productive regions cows can produce up to 6,800 Liters of milk per animal unit annually, compared to 21,374 gallons per animal in the U.S. The mixed system of cattle production is a dual purpose animal that is used for meat and milk production. These animals produce less milk than the Holstein dairy cows, but also produce calves that are more suitable for meat production than the dairy cattle. These cattle are located in the higher rainfall areas. Beef cattle production is the final cattle system located in Morocco. These cattle are compromised of local breeds that are not near as productive as our beef cattle in the U.S. Moroccan cattle produce an average of 135 Kg of carcass weight compared to carcass weights of 800 pounds in the United States. Poultry production plays a large role in meat consumption in Morocco. Thirty-five percent of total meat consumption comes from poultry along with 1.4 billion eggs produced annually. Other animal in Morocco include 820,000 donkeys 470,000 mules, 200,000 horsed, 60,000 camels, and 10,000 pigs. Although these animals don’t have as many numbers as other species of livestock, their importance is still a vital key to Moroccan livestock production. Livestock production in Morocco has its similarities and differences to production in the U.S. Several of the same species are raised like we do in the United States, but after traveling across the country of Morocco, it was evident that the livestock as a whole are produced in a much more primitive way than what we are used to. While traveling we encountered many people herding their flocks of sheep or goats numbering around 25 head trying to find something green for them to eat. We would occasionally see a small herd of cattle doing the same. Although, we did get the opportunity to visit a large ranch that keeps around 1,000 Santa Gertrudis cows and produce beef to feed the people of Morocco. This ranch had great vision and is trying to upgrade the type of cattle being produced in the area, but they have a barrier of available commodities to feed these cattle. It was very interesting to see first hand the livestock production in another country and really made me appreciate not only what I have, but the freedom opportunities that I have available to me here at home. REFERENCES: Spencer, . "Overview of the United States Meat Goat Industry." Alabama Cooperative Extension System (2008): n. pag. Web. 14 Jan 2010. http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/U/UNP-0104/ National Research Council, . "Changes in the Sheep Industry in the United States." Report in the Brief (2008): n. pag. Web. 14 Jan 2010. http://dels.nas.edu/dels/rpt_briefs/SheepFinal.pdf USDA, . "July 1 Cattle Inventory Down 1 Percent." National Agricultural Statistics Service (2009): n. pag. Web. 14 Jan 2010. http://www.usda.gov/nass/PUBS/TODAYRPT/catl0709.txt Solsten, Eric. "Spain: A Country Study." Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress (1988): n. pag. Web. 14 Jan 2010. http://countrystudies.us/spain/59.htm Boulanouar, B. "Morocco Country Paper." Unknown (1993): n. pag. Web. 14 Jan 2010. http://www.ilri.org/InfoServ/Webpub/Fulldocs/Wana/Morocco.htm Grain crops of Spain and Morocco Tim Taylor The crops that are grown in these two countries are similar to the crops that we grow here in Oklahoma and in other surrounding states. Let’s start with one of the most important crops to Oklahoma - wheat. Wheat is grown in all parts of Oklahoma as well as in Spain. Farmers in Spain grow more types of wheat than we do here in Oklahoma. The two most popular types are soft wheat, which accounts for about 75% of Spain’s total wheat production. This is mainly grown in the northern part of Spain. Durum wheat accounts for the other 25% and is mainly grown in the southern part of the country (as seen below).  
Morocco raises the same types of wheat as Spain. Although both countries grow a significant amount of wheat, this is not there main grain crop. The main grain crop is barley. Spain is ranked 4th globally in barley production. Grains cover about 10% of Spain’s cultivated lands and 10% of that area is irrigated. Most of the irrigated land is used for corn production and wheat and barley are grown out in the dryer areas, which is usually more of the upland areas where rainfall is less abundant. Spain and Morocco both lack the land mass that it would take to grow enough grain to be self sufficient so they must both rely on imports from the US and other countries. Even in a good year Spain typically has to import about 12 million tons of grain. This past year this cost Spain approximately 3 billion dollars. More recently, as of January 7, 2010, Spain has imported 134.8 thousand tons this week and as of a year ago they imported 363.8 thousand tons of wheat. Morocco has imported 128.6 thousand tons this week which is up from a year ago when they only imported 19.6 thousand tons. This spike is due to drought conditions being felt in this region. Let’s touch on some of the other grain crops that are grown in Spain. Maize is one of the other main crops followed closely by rice and corn. Other crops that are very important to Spain are sugar beets in which they produce sugar, olives in which they make olive oil, and potatoes. Spain is also very well known for their fruits and vegetables. They are ranked 3rd in global wine production. I found some interesting information on other uses for Spain’s wheat and barley crops. They are using them for the production of ethanol. Spain uses wheat, barley and waste from winery processing as the main raw materials. In the town of Salamanca the new plant will use barley as feedstock for about 85% of production and wine and alcohol waste making up the difference. Currently the plant uses just over 700 thousand tons of grain (wheat and barley) which produce about 250 thousand tons of distiller’s grain. A new plant in Salamanca will increase the grain usage to about 1.5 million tons which will come mainly from barley and increase the production of distiller’s grain to about 500 thousand tons. Corn is not used in the production of ethanol in Spain nor do they foresee using it in the future, because barley and wheat are far more extensively grown and more accessible for the plants. Morocco has many of the same crops as Spain does. Morocco produces sugar beets, citrus fruits, grapes, olives, beans and other lentils. As much food as Morocco produces they must import a portion of the products that they consume. They produce a considerable amount of product compared to the small number of acres that they have available for production. Only about 20% of Morocco is cultivated due to severe drought with much of the other land being either mountains or desert. REFERENCES: www.reuters.com www.countrystudies.us/spain Horticulture Crops of Spain and Morocco Charles Rohla The area of horticulture is a critical component of the agricultural industries in Spain and Morocco. In both countries, horticulture accounts for a high percentage of the agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and a substantial percentage of the labor industry. Primary horticultural crops from these countries include citrus, deciduous fruits, olives and olive oil, nuts, wine, cut flowers and vegetables. Both countries use extensive irrigation and some of the most advanced technology and techniques to produce these horticulture crops. One key method of production is greenhouse technology, which is utilized in both countries and has turned large areas of unproductive land into highly intensive vegetable and fruit production areas. Horticulture crops in both countries are highly productive and most of the produce that is produced is exported into the European Union. In Spain, horticulture crop production has a value equal to that of the livestock, dairy and poultry sectors combined and accounts for 70% of total agricultural exports (Spain; Overview, 2010). Spain’s grape industry accounts for over 17% of all acres worldwide devoted to grape production (FAO, 2010). In fact, Spain has the largest area in the world devoted to vineyards. Vineyards are scattered across almost all regions throughout Spain. Numerous vineyards are located on sites unsuitable for other crop production. Overall production quality is poor on these sites and the grapes that are harvested are used for juices and raisins and not desirable for wines. Nevertheless, Spain is well known for its wines. Some of the world’s finest wines are produced in the regions with good fertile soils and a large number of the wines are very affordable (The Best Wines & Vineyards, 2010). Spain is best known for its production of reds, whites, sherry and champagne. There are more than 5,500 wineries located in this region which produces over 870 million gallons of wine yearly (Spain Wineries, 2010). Another strong segment of Spanish horticulture is olive production. Spain is the world’s leader in production of olives with over 300 million trees. Of the 2.1 million hectares (5.19 million acres) devoted to olive groves, 92% are dedicated to olive oil production (Iberia Nature, 2010). Olive trees have an extensive history in this region of the world. Some of the trees in Spain have been in production for over 1,000 years (Vossen, 1997). Spain also has a history of intensive fruit tree production. It leads Western Europe in citrus production and is the world’s leading exporter of oranges and mandarins. Spain is also the world’s largest fresh citrus exporter (70% of production exported into Europe) and fourth in overall citrus production behind Brazil, the U.S. and China (Witney and Chao, 2000). In addition, Spain has one of the highest productions of grapefruit, lemons and limes in the world, second only to Italy. Other tree crops grown in large quantity include apples, bananas, figs, cherries, plums, apricots, peaches and nuts (Solsten and Meditz, 1988). Fruit and vegetable production in Spain has dramatically changed over the past 20 years. This has led Spain to become one of the world’s leading producers of fresh produce. Fruits and vegetables are a significant economic sector in Spanish agriculture, accounting for over 30% of the total output and almost 50% of export of food and agriculture products (Arias Canete, 2002). Spain is also the leading country in organic production with over 1,250,000 hectares (2,675,000 acres) of certified organic fields in 2008 (Spain, 2010). In southern Spain, in the area of Almeria, there has been a significant increase in agricultural production over the past 20 years. There has been over 45,000 hectares (100,000 acres) of greenhouse crops grown in what was once desert land. The crops that dominate this area are tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, muskmelons, and watermelons (Cantliffe and Vansickle, 2003). With its Mediterranean climate, Morocco has the potential for the production of a wide array of crops varying from temperate species in the Atlas Mountains to tropical and subtropical crops along the Atlantic coast and the Souss Valley. Moroccan horticultural crops parallel that of Spain, but to a much lesser degree. Moroccan labor has been utilized in Spain for centuries and therefore Moroccan agriculture has been greatly influenced by Spain.
Moroccan citrus production (213,284 acres) is small in total worldwide production (less than 1% of total world production), however Morocco is the fourth largest exporter of fresh citrus and second in exports of fresh mandarin (USDA statistics, 2000). The citrus farms in Morocco are substantially larger than the farms in Spain with an average size of over 200 acres. With the inexpensive labor cost in Morocco compared to other parts of the world, Morocco has a large advantage in the industry (Witney and Chao, 2000). Morocco is also known for its floriculture. More than 90% of the cut flowers that are produced in Morocco are exported to Europe. The climate of the country permits the production of a wide range of high quality flowers. The average number per hectare of cut flowers produced in open field’s averages about 100,000, while in greenhouse production it can sometimes reach as high as 300,000 stems per hectare. Many varieties and assortments of flowers are produced (Moroccan Horticulture Industry, 2010). Because of its arid climate, Morocco is an ideal place for cultivating dates and today boasts over 100 different varieties of dates, with 45 of those grown in southern Morocco alone. Dates have been an essential part of the Moroccan diet for thousands of years. (A History Tour of Moroccan Dates, 2010) The Medjool Date is a variety that originated in Morocco and because of its superior quality was reserved to be eaten only by royalty. However, in 1927 a disease threatened to drive the Medjool date to extinction. In a desperate attempt to save the Medjool, the Chariff of Morocco sent eleven mature plants to the United States. Nine of the eleven survived and are the basis for today’s flourishing date orchards in California, Arizona and Mexico (Almondjool Jewels of information, 2010). Another threat to the abundant date industry in Morocco is Bayoud disease. This disease affects the date palm and causes extensive damage that can sometimes take on stunning proportions when the disease shows its aggressive epidemic aspect. The first case of this disease was reported in 1870 in Zagora, Morocco. By 1940, it had already affected numerous entire date plantations and after one century, the disease has affected virtually all Moroccan palm groves. Bayoud has destroyed in one century more than twelve million palms in Morocco. (Diseases and Pests of Date Palm, 2010) Area and production for the main vegetable crops in Almeria, Spain (1998)
2002 World Greenhouse Vegetable Production Area (ha)* Country Production Area (ha)
Source: BC Vegetable Marketing Commission. 1 ha = 2.471 acres. REFERENCES: A History Tour of the Moroccan Date. 2010. Available online at http://moroccotravelblog.wordpress.com/2009/03/31/moroccan-dates-travel-to-morocco-with-these-delicious-date-recipes/ AlmondJool Jewels of Information. 2010. Available online at http://wholefooddelights.com/abouttrees.htm Arias Canete, M. Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. 2002. Preface In:. Espana Orchard of Europe. Sociedad estatal para Exposiciones Internacionales y Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentacion. ISBM 84-491-0539-0 Madrid, Espana. Cantliffe, D. and J. Vansickle. 2003. Competitiveness of the Spanish and Dutch Greenhouse Industries with the Florida Fresh Vegetable Industry. University of Florida IFAS Extension #HS918 Diseases and Pests of the Date Palm. 2010. Available online at http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/006/Y4360E/y4360e0g.htm Moroccan Horticultural Industry. 2010. Available online at http://www.agrsci.unibo.it/wchr/wc2/morocco.html OLIVE FARMING, OLIVE OIL AND OLIVES IN SPAIN. 2010. Available online at http://www.iberianature.com/material/olives.html Spain: Country Overview. 2010. Available online at http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Europe/Spain.html Spain Wineries. 2010. Available online at http://www.destination360.com/europe/spain/wineries Spain, leading EU Country in Organic Farming. 2009. Available online at http://en.greenplanet.net/food/organic/340-spain-leading-eu-country-in-organic-farming-.html The Best Wines & Vineyards. 2010. Available online at http://www.frommers.com/destinations/spain/0242020874.html Vossen, Paul. 1997. Spanish Olive Oil Production. Technical Report on the Olive Oil Production Tour. Witney, G.W. and C.T. Chao. 2000. The Clementine Mandarin Industries of Morocco and Spain. Highlights of the Study Trip Sponsored by the California Citrus Research Board. SPAINS’S/MOROCCO’S GOVERNMENT Submissions by: JOHN COTHREN ANNETTE RIHERD MARY STEICHEN Spain’s Government John Cothren History The Romans came to the Iberian Peninsula in the second century BC and laid the groundwork for Spain's present language, religion, and laws. They were followed by the Visigoths in the fifth century AD. The last Roman strongholds along the southern coast did not fall until the seventh century AD. Later the Moors sailed across the straits and within a few years took control of the peninsula. The efforts to drive out the Moors lasted until 1492. By 1512, the unification of present-day Spain was complete. Spain became the most powerful nation in Europe during the 16th century because of its wealth from its presence in the Americas. But a series of long, costly wars and revolts began a steady decline of Spanish power in Europe. Controversy over succession to the throne consumed the country during the 18th century, leading to an occupation by France during the Napoleonic era in the early 1800s and a series of armed conflicts throughout much of the 19th century. The 19th century saw the revolt and independence of most of Spain's colonies in the Western Hemisphere; three wars over the succession issue; the brief ousting of the monarchy and establishment of the First Republic (1873-74); and, finally, the Spanish-American War (1898), in which Spain lost Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines to the United States. A period of dictatorial rule (1923-31) ended with the establishment of the Second Republic. It was dominated by increasing political polarization, culminating in the leftist Popular Front electoral victory in 1936. Pressures from all sides, coupled with growing and unchecked violence, led to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in July 1936. Spain was officially neutral during World War II but followed a pro-Axis policy. Therefore, the victorious Allies isolated Spain at the beginning of the postwar period. Spain joined the United Nations in 1955. In 1959, under an International Monetary Fund stabilization plan, the country began liberalizing trade and capital flows, particularly foreign direct investment. Despite the success of economic liberalization, Spain remained for years the most closed economy in Western Europe--judged by the small measure of foreign trade to economic activity--and the pace of reform slackened during the 1960s as the state continued to be involved in the economy. In the 1960s and 1970s, Spain was transformed into a modern industrial economy with a thriving tourism sector. Its economic expansion led to improved income distribution and helped develop a large middle class. Social changes brought about by economic prosperity and the inflow of new ideas helped set the stage for Spain's transition to democracy during the latter half of the 1970s. Upon the death of General Franco in November 1975, Franco's personally-designated heir Prince Juan Carlos de Borbon y Borbon assumed the titles of king and chief of state. Dissatisfied with the slow pace of post-Franco liberalization, he replaced Franco's last Prime Minister with Adolfo Suarez in July 1976. Suarez entered office promising that elections would be held within one year, and his government moved to enact a series of laws to liberalize the new regime. Spain's first elections since 1936 to the Cortes (Parliament) were held on June 15, 1977. Prime Minister Suarez's Union of the Democratic Center (UCD), a moderate center-right coalition, won 34% of the vote and the largest bloc of seats in the Cortes. Under Suarez, the new Cortes set about drafting a democratic constitution that was overwhelmingly approved by voters in a national referendum in December 1978. Local Government Spanish government is set up very similar to that of the United States other than the fact they have a King that isn’t elected instead of a President that is elected. There government is similar to that of England in that they have a Prime Minster as the head of state that is an elected official. They have three main branches of government just like the United States. The Executive consists of the King and is cabinet. Some of his cabinet he appoints and some are elected. The Legislative branch consists of elected officials from regions and provinces just like the USA. Spain has 5 major political parties but also has several smaller parties and lobby groups that have influence on the government. The Legislative Branch consists of two “Houses” similar to that of the United States. They have a Senate much like ours and a Congress of Deputies that is much like our House of Representatives. To help define the Legislative branch we must look at how it came about. The 1978 constitution authorized the creation of regional autonomous governments. By 1985, 17 regions covering all of peninsular Spain, the Canaries, and the Balearic Islands had negotiated autonomy statutes with the central government. In 1979, the first autonomous elections were held in the Basque and Catalan regions, which have the strongest regional traditions by virtue of their history and separate languages. Since then, autonomous governments have been created in the remainder of the 17 regions and 47 provinces with each having one senator’s seat. The central government continues to devolve powers to the regional governments, which will eventually have full responsibility for health care and education, as well as other social programs. The electoral system--with the exception of the Senate, which uses a majority system--is set forth in the electoral law of 1977, updated in 1985, which is based on the d'Hondt system of proportional representation. A party must obtain a minimum of 3 percent of the vote in order to qualify for parliamentary representation. Each province is to have a minimum of two seats in the Congress of Deputies, plus one additional seat for every 144,500 inhabitants or fraction over 70,000 inhabitants. Each province is allotted four seats in the Senate, regardless of population. That means that there is a 350 seat Congress of Deputies that represent the 47 provinces and 17 regions. This system tends to over represent the more traditional, rural, and thinly populated parts of Spain and to favor the larger parties, which also benefit from the system of post electoral subsidies. Under this arrangement, the state allocates funds to the party of each elected candidate. Parties are also given smaller sums for each vote received by their candidates, provided that at least one candidate is elected. One of the effects of this system is that parties able to demonstrate probable electoral success are able to obtain loans to finance their campaigns based on their expected subsidies. The electoral law guarantees universal, free, and direct suffrage and stipulates that voting shall be by secret ballot. It permits postal balloting for those away from their areas of registration. Voting is done by party list. Only the names of an individual party and its leader appear on ballots, with the exception of those of the Senate, for which a multiparty list is used, and voters choose any three candidates. Elections are held every four years, although an early dissolution of the Cortes will mean early elections for this body. Elections in the autonomous communities, except those in the "historic regions", which received their autonomy earlier than the other thirteen communities, are held simultaneously. The third branch is the Judicial. It is different from the USA in that there are two Tribunal Courts. The first is the Supreme Court of Spain. It is the highest judicial body in Spain for all matters not pertaining to the Constitution. Members are appointed by the King on advice from the elected Prime Minister. The second type of court is the Constitutional Court. It is authorized to rule on the constitutionality of laws, acts, or regulations set forth by the national or the regional parliaments. This court consists of twelve magistrates (justices) who serve for nine-year terms. Four of these are nominated by the Congress of Deputies, four by the Senate, two by the executive branch of the government, and two by the General Council of the Judiciary, all are formally appointed by the King. Military The Spanish military is very similar to the United States and many other developed countries in that it consists of three main branches with four main areas. They have the Army, Navy (which includes the Marines just like the USA) and the Air Force. The military service age in Spain is 20 years of age compared to 18 in the United States. It is also similar to the USA in respect to the fact it is a voluntary service. Spain’s military is considerably smaller than the United States. To put it into perspective of dollars spent on the military compared to each countries Gross Domestic Product or GDP, Spain has average expenditures of 1.2 % of GDP (compared to US military expenditures of 4.6% of US GDP) Spain has a GDP of 1.683 Trillion verses a 14.33 trillion for US GDP. So the annual military budget in Spain is roughly 20 billion verses 660 billion for United States annually. Media Under the rigorous censorship that prevailed during the Franco regime, only news favorable to the government could appear in the press, and there was little concern for the veracity of such reports. With no reliable coverage of political events, reportage diminished to a few items pertaining to society news, sports, or business. A new press law, approved in 1966, provided a degree of liberalization for publications and eliminated prior censorship, although newspapers were expected to exercise self-censorship. The 1966 law did not usher in freedom of the press, but it did expand the scope of news that could be published; newspapers even began debating what forms of government might evolve after Franco's death.
In addition to newspapers, Spain had a large number of weekly and monthly periodicals that filled in the gaps in newspaper coverage REFERENCES: [1] http://www.nationmaster.com/red/country/sp-spain/gov-government&all=1 [2] http://www.theodora.com/wfbcurrent/spain/index.html [3] http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2878.htm Directory: files files -> Answer True False 2 points Question 2 files -> Integer programming and game theory files -> 4 Integer Programming files -> Bpa vehicle Window Repair Scenario #1 task: Procure vehicle window relacement. Objective files -> Pop Warner History files -> North Carolina Inclusion Initiative Mapping Where Children with ieps are Being Served Purpose files -> Fall 2013 Spring 2014 Program Data: Standard 1 Exhibit 4d files -> Hanban – asia society confucius classrooms network 2010 request for proposal files -> Northern England’s set-jetting locations Download 0.72 Mb. Share with your friends:
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