The Huerta Agricultural Landscape in the Spanish Mediterranean Arc: One Landscape, Two Perspectives, Three Specific Huertas

Abstract

The Huerta is recognised as one of the 13 specific agricultural landscapes in Europe, present in only three Mediterranean countries, namely Spain, Italy, and Greece. In the case of Spain, three areas fall within the established Huerta agricultural classification: the Huertas de Valencia, Murcia, and Vega Baja. While all of them share common landscape features, each Huerta has distinguishing singularities which are approached through two perspectives: firstly, the structural tangible elements, related to functional networks—water distribution, pathways networks, settlement patterns, and the agricultural production system; and secondly, the role of the intangible components—connotations of the word Huerta, water management, canal and path upkeep rules, and the administration of these territories. The analysis of the tangible elements and intangible components in the three Spanish Huertas shows these territories as complex and balanced systems that have historically counterbalanced the environmental drawbacks in one of the most arid European regions. Despite being a highly appreciated environmental and productive asset, these Huertas are under intense pressure from urban development in highly urbanized metropolitan areas. This study shows Huertas’ uniqueness through their historical role in the territorial planning and management strategies at the local level, finally depicting Huertas as a present strategical opportunity for reaching environmental goals in peri-urban areas.

Política de cohesión y desequilibrios socioeconómicos interterritoriales en la Europa del Sur durante los últimos veinte años. Los casos de Piamonte, Comunidad Valenciana y Sicilia

“…Este arco está compuesto por el territorio comprendido entre Valencia y Roma pasando por Barcelona, Marsella y Milán. Esta zona, históricamente, dio lugar a fuertes intercambios comerciales, culturales y sociales principalmente entre España e Italia (Durà & Oliveras, 2010;Soria Cáceres, 2011;Martí & García-Mayor, 2020).…”

Fabricating Irrigators: Contested Hydrosocial Territories and Subject-Making in Spain’s Tagus–Segura Interbasin Transfer Arena

“…The irrigation system is perceived as the result of a centuries-old process of trial and error and an example of sustainable water use, resisting social, political, and economic changes, as well as shifting food system models. In Orihuela, the irrigation system is dependent on the cycle of "live and dead water", recycling irrigation water-which relies on flood irrigation [80]. It dates to 1275 through a royal privilege declaring that the beneficiaries "irrigate and irrigate as much as they did in times of the moors and more if they can" [81] (p. 290).…”

Evaluation of Landscape Quality in Valencia’s Agricultural Gardens—A Method Adapted to Multifunctional, Territorialized Agrifood Systems (MTAS)

“…Valencia's agricultural gardens or Huerta area is one of the six millenary ones that still exist in Europe, as explained in the Dobris Assessment by the European Environment Agency [35]. Moreover, in 2019 it was included in the registry as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS), managed by the FAO [36].…”