The grandiose greenhouses of Almeria

Since the 1980s a small coastal plain 30 km southwest of the Spanish city of Almeria has become the largest concentration of greenhouses in the world, covering almost 26,000 hectares. Several thousand tons of greenhouse vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and zucchini are grown here every year. More than half of the total fresh fruits and vegetables on the European market are grown in the local greenhouses, generating an annual income of $1.5 billion for the Almerían economy.

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1. 35 years ago, this region in southeastern Spain was known only for its dry and harsh climate. Everything here was like a desert, and the annual rainfall was only 200 mm of rain. Many European westerns were even filmed here, because the scenery was quite suitable.

2. However, imported salt and complete hydroponic systems that have fed the plants with chemical fertilizers for the past 35 years have allowed this place to turn into a real farming paradise. Hothouse, of course.

3. These greenhouses are owned by a huge number of small entrepreneurs and large companies. The temperature inside can reach over 45 degrees Celsius. For many Spanish workers, working here is too hard because of the high temperatures, so the greenhouses are mainly employed by legal and illegal immigrants from Africa and Eastern Europe.

4. It is believed that 100,000 immigrants work in these greenhouses, and many believe that it is the lack of labor rights of local workers that helps this place to flourish. Many farms do not have toilets, and women often work as prostitutes.

5. Some workers also sign labor contracts, under which they must give part of the money to their bosses. They pay here 33-36 euros per day.

6. The sea of white-roofed greenhouses in Almeria is so vast that researchers at the University of Almeria found that by reflecting sunlight back into the atmosphere, these greenhouses serve as a kind of fan for the entire province.

7. While the temperature in the rest of Spain rises above the generally accepted level, local figures have fallen, on average, by 0.3 degrees Celsius every 10 years since 1983.

8. The greenhouses have become so successful and profitable that they have swallowed up the entire Dalias plain and are already approaching the valleys of the neighboring hills of Alpujarra, one of the most beautiful and unspoiled places in Spain. Several small towns have already been completely absorbed by growing greenhouses.

9. Plastic manufacturers and recycling companies have also settled in the region. After all, here garbage and waste lie everywhere, blocking even river channels.

10. Last month, the death of a sperm whale that washed up on the coast of Spain was attributed to the detrimental effect of Almeria's greenhouses on nature, because the sperm whale swallowed 17 kg of plastic waste thrown into the sea. Among the garbage were also empty plastic containers with remnants of toxic waste. On the coast of El Pozuelo, the garbage reaches the level of the ankles.