Mediterranean Agricultural Region
By Megan Miesbauer
Definition
The Mediterranean agricultural region is defined as a region that borders a sea, with hot and dry summers, sea breazes that give some relief from the heat and provide moisture, and the winter temperatures are moderate. The land is very hilly and the mountains may plunge into the sea, leaving very little flat land along the coast. In Mediterranean Agricultural Regions most crops are grown for human consumption. Horticulture is the major commercial base in the region along with tree crops.
Mediterranean agriculture takes place on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, the coast of California, and a bit on the coast of Argentina, making it a form of agriculture taking place primarily in MDCs.
Who's doing the farming?
In the Californian Mediterranean climate region, many of the workers there are immigrants, particularly undocumented immigrants, working for the owners of vineyards. However, because of tighter restrictions on the border, starting a few years ago and growing increasingly tighter, many vineyard owners are experiencing a labor shortage and having to compete for workers, as most natural-born Americans aren't interested in the work.
In the Mediterranean
Around the Mediterranean sea, the workers are historically local, however, recently, immigrants have started to become a significant portion of the workers on farms in Greece and Italy.
Commercial or Subsistence?
The Mediterranean Agricultural Region is, primarily, commercial. Most of the products grown are converted into other things (olive oil, wine, etc.) or sold for a profit, rather than eaten by the farmers.
Importance
In Italy and Greece, agriculture accounts for a significant part of their economy. Italy is also one of the largest growers of food in the EU. The wine produced by Mediterranean agriculture in California also accounts for a significant portion of the economy of California, though not as much as it does in Italy and Greece.
Environmental Effects
Mediterranean Agriculture requires a complex balance between the sea, the land, and the crops themselves. Many of the crops grown from Mediterranean agriculture require high quality soil, and leech the soil of many nutrients over time, with grapes being some of the biggest culprits of this. As a result, the grapes, and many other plants, are unable to grow in those areas. However, humans have recently begun making their own, enriched, soil to plant the grapes in,
Did you know?
- The world consumes 2.25 million tons of olive oil every year
- The average olive tree lives between 300 and 600 years
- There are over 8000 types of grapes
- Wine has been produced from grapes since 5000 B.C.
Personal Connection
A personal connection for me would be the large quantities of Kalamata olives I eat on a daily basis. Kalamatas are high in sodium when bought from the store, and I need a high sodium diet. Besides that, they taste extremely good.