Vegetable paradise in Almeria: the largest complex of greenhouses in Europe

This place stands out sharply among the surrounding desert landscapes of the Mediterranean coast. The plastic roofs of the Spanish greenhouses of Almeria sparkling in the sun are clearly visible even from space, and the scale of the complex is simply amazing. It is such a global construction that it even changes the climate in this region, and environmentalists are alarmed by the growing amount of waste produced by one of the largest greenhouse complexes in the world.

The province of Almeria, with its capital in the city of the same name, is located in southeastern Spain, on the Mediterranean coast. Greenhouses began to be built to the southwest of the city of Almeria back in the 80s of the last century, and today they have already absorbed several small settlements on the coast. Today, the area of greenhouses is more than 25,000 hectares, and this figure continues to increase. Initially, greenhouses occupied a coastal plain about 30 kilometers wide, but today they are gradually rising to the mountains, occupying more and more new territories.

Greenhouses do not belong to any one corporation or large businessman. They are owned by a large number of entrepreneurs and companies that employ mainly Spanish migrants or unskilled workers. Here, mainly vegetables are grown: tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, zucchini, greens. The annual production of vegetables in the greenhouses of Almeria is about 1.5 million tons, and vegetables from this Spanish province make up more than half of the vegetable market in Europe. The social situation in this part of the province is not the most favorable: the number of illegal migrants who want to find work in greenhouses far exceeds the number of real vacancies.

The polyethylene and polycarbonate roofs of Almeria's greenhouses perfectly reflect the sun's rays. The scale of this is so great that greenhouses even began to influence the microclimate of the region, and for the better. The fact is that the territory of Almeria is in the desert, where in summer the temperature is kept at + 30-35 ° C in the shade. The roofs of greenhouses are a kind of mirror that reflects light, thereby preventing excessive heating. Spanish scientists have found that the greenhouse complex contributes to a slight decrease in air temperature compared to the surrounding area.