Soil erosion in Andalusian olive farming.
This article studies the agro-environmental problem of soil erosion. It begins by reviewing European regulations concerning erosion control, going on to discuss the main research conducted as regards the adoption of soil conservation practices. An empiric study is then performed on the economic profitability of a sample of olive farms in the province of Granada, and an analysis of the dissemination process of the main conservation practices adopted in the area studied. It concludes that the most profitable farms are those that adopt non traditional methods in contrast to those that apply traditional farming techniques; it is also observed that the dissemination process is greater and faster among adopters of non-farming techniques with the localised application of week-killers.
Keywords: soil erosion, control of erosion, olive farms, traditional farming.