Trends in the adoption of greenhouse technology in Mediterranean horticultural farms
New Medit, Vol. 9, n. 3, (September 2010), pp. 47-55
Language: EN
Jel classification: Q120, Q160
There is a clear need to raise the level of greenhouse technology if we are to maintain the competitive position of the Spanish horticultural sector, as shown by the analysis made in this study. This work takes into account the data resulting from a stratified random sampling survey of 242 greenhouses for fruit/vegetable growing in southern Alicante, Murcia and the western area of Almería. Based on the data collected and by applying univariate and bivariate statistical analyses, we aim to determine the characteristics of the most fully-equipped greenhouse on each farm and the business trends in technology application. The results indicate that investments in technology are progressing slowly; the level of technology use for irrigation and fertigation is high whereas the development of climate control technology is still limited. While 22% of the farms surveyed use soilless cropping systems, with highly acceptable results, in only 6% of the farms the greenhouses reach a high technology level.
competitive position, greenhouse, horticultural farm, innovation technology, soilless cropping systems
