스페인 남부의 대규모 비닐하우스촌

greenhouses in the Campo de Dalias

지도위의 십자 표시지역을 위성에서 내려다 보면

아래 처럼 하얀 눈같은 모습이 보입니다.

북쪽으로는 병풍처럼 the Sierra de Gador mountains이 막고 있고, 아래로는 평야가 펼쳐져 있습니다.

농사짓기에는 턱없는 강수량을 기록하고 있습니다.  연강수량 200mm 정도.
이런 지역에 왜 비닐하우스를 사용한 농사가 행해질까요?

National Geogrpahy의 글에도 나와 있지만
비닐하우스의 용도는 온도를 높이기 위한 (겨울철 토마토 재배) 뿐만 아니라 다른 효과도 지니고 있습니다.

바로 물과 비료 효율의 극대화 입니다.

The sunny south of Spain offers more to the national economy than simply tourism. Over the past 50 years, the small coastal plain (campo), some 30 kilometers southwest of the city of Almeria, has been intensively developed for agriculture. An estimated 20,000 hecatres of extra-early market produce is grown in greenhouses in the Campo de Dalias, and it accounts for over $1.5 billion in economic activity. The area has a dry, mild, Mediterranean climate and is further sheltered on the north by the Sierra de Gador mountains. With just slightly more than 200 millimeters of annual precipitation to support crop growth, the area also relies on groundwater fed by small stream aquifers from the mountains to the north.

This image was taken with a digital camera by the crew of the International Space Station near midday in early February. Note the dense, bright pattern of thousands of greenhouses extending from the shoreline right up to the base of the mountains and even into some of the smaller valleys. Salt pan operations can also be seen in the long coastal lagoons

<From : NASA>

The photo above showing greenhouses galore in shades of beige, tan and sepia was taken above Almeria Province in southeastern Spain. On the arid plains of Spain, produce is grown under the world's largest array of greenhouses and trucked northward to various distribution centers. The advantage of greenhouses is that they’re able to use water and nutrients more efficiently than conventional farming methods. In addition, they can churn out crops all year long ? even tomatoes in winter, for instance. However, growing grain crops and producing more beef under glass is a different matter. The global challenge today is to increase sources of protein, which is essential for many key body functions, particularly in locations where food production is now deficient. It currently takes 38 percent of Earth's ice-free surface to feed seven billion people, and yet two billion more mouths will need to be fed by mid century. For more about the challenges of modern agriculture and the Age of Man, see the March 2011 issue of National Geographic Magazine.

<From : National Geogarpphy>