Cambios y transformaciones en el sistema agrario riojano a finales del siglo XX

Resumen

This paper is focused on the analysis of agricultural plots in La Rioja, particularly small family plots, and the changes they have undergone as a consequence of the changes in Spanish agriculture, which it has gone from a subsistence sector to a market, diversified, competitive and modern industrial model where small plots are increasingly less relevant in the overall agricultural system. First, we studied the sources, basically the Agricultural Censuses of 1962, 1972, 1982, 1989 and 1999, as well as the Agricultural Statistics of the Autonomous Community of La Rioja. The analyses of the censuses were put into context considering the current situation and changing socio-economic characteristics of Spanish society and the relationships with wider circles, as the differences in the collection of data for each Census forced us to use this frame of reference. Then, we retrieved general, regional and local data for the variables included in the Censuses. We focused particularly on two variables: the titleholder of the land and the crops since these variables reflect the evolution of the agricultural system in La Rioja over the last three decades of the 20th century. The differences in the values for the titleholders and predominant crops showed a regionalization of the agricultural sector in La Rioja: 11 sub-regions were defined for the three regions of the Depression, an area that concentrates about 100% of the agricultural land in La Rioja and also has its own problems and growth potential. In spite of the regional differences, it can be claimed that La Rioja is dominated by a majority presence of small and medium-size highly developed family plots faced with viability and profitability problems, but particularly with problems related to generational transfer in terms of model preservation. The future of family agricultural plots in La Rioja is complex and difficult, albeit interesting, both at economic and socio-cultural level.