Fertilizing Methods and Nutrient Balance at the End of Traditional Organic Agriculture in the Mediterranean Bioregion: Catalonia (Spain) in the 1860s

By reconstructing the nutrient balance of a Catalan v illage circa 1861-65 we examine the sustainability of organic agricultural sy stems in the northwest Mediterranean bioregion prior to the green rev olution and the question of whether the nutrients extracted f rom the soil were replenished. With...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Tello, Enric, Garrabou, Ramon, 1937-, Cussó i Segura, Xavier, Olarieta, José Ramón, Galán del Castillo, Elena
Formato: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2012
País:España
Recursos:Universidad de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de la UB
OAI Identifier:oai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/43662
Acesso em linha:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/43662
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Agricultura biològica
Adobs
Catalunya
Sistemes agrícoles
Organic farming
Manures
Catalonia
Agricultural systems
Descrição
Resumo:By reconstructing the nutrient balance of a Catalan v illage circa 1861-65 we examine the sustainability of organic agricultural sy stems in the northwest Mediterranean bioregion prior to the green rev olution and the question of whether the nutrients extracted f rom the soil were replenished. With a population density of 59 inhabitants per square km, similar to other northern European rural areas at that time, and a lower liv estock density per cropland unit, this v illage experienced a manure shortage. The gap was f illed by other labour-intensiv e way s of transf erring nutrients f rom uncultiv ated areas into the cropland. Key elements in this agricultural sy stem were v iney ards because they hav e f ew nutrient requirements, and woodland and scrublands as sources of relev ant amounts of nutrients collected in sev eral ways.