FARMING IN CASTILLA-LA MANCHA. THE APRARIAN STRUCTURE OF CIUDAD REAL

Abstract

The economy of the Community of Castilla-La Mancha depends on her agrarian activity, what intensifies in the province of Ciudad Real, which proportionally exceeds the average agrarian national product in 17,5%. Other potential resources such as cattle raising and forest exploitation are underveloped. The predominance of cereal overlaps the survival of vineyards but its benefits are absorbed because of the extensions o fallow land. The increase of barley and the decrease of vineyards do not excessively affect an area in clear disadvantage: the west and south-east of the province. So the gaps in that region are big and many municipal entities have broken off the average agricultura1 economic development in ihe province. Nevertheless, that is not the worst field of the community and a good sign of it is its contnbution to the final agranan product, al though it is possible to relaunch the productions by applying the guidelines in the Plan of Regional Development. Anyway, political measures give long term results in the country. Imgation farming finds more trouble everyday because of the uncontrolled consumption of water last years, what partly accounts for the recent agricultura1 development and a later stagnation.