You did a great job on not coming down on whether these greenhouses are good or bad, but just explaining why they exist and the positive and negative consequences. That must have been difficult, but it's true journalism. Well done.
The fish based fertilizer they use def makes Almeria produce taste worse to me but most people don't care I guess Very productive, but at the price of quality
@@coreblaster6809 lol no, it literally tastes different, esp in tomatoes garlic from Spain is also way worse than garlic I get in Italy or Poland, not even close
They are ahead of you. Been doing it. For the most part they don’t need to because of reliable benign weather. But they use plastic sheeting a lot. Mostly as a cover over all but the plants that they are growing. So in other words, it is a weed prevention method. And they have long ago adopted drip irrigation to prove precious water only to where they need it; namely the roots.
@@theguy9208 So because it wasn’t covered on this video about Spain, you know that it isn’t done in California? Furthermore you know that the reason it isn’t done in California, despite the economic benefits, is because Californians have an aversion to easy steps that would make them more wealthy. California has been using plastic in agriculture for decades. For the most part they don’t need to use greenhouse sheets because of reliable benign weather. But they use plastic sheeting a lot. Mostly as a cover over all but the plants that they are growing. So in other words, it is a weed prevention method. And they have long ago adopted drip irrigation to prove precious water only to where they need it; namely the roots. But don’t let facts deter you from indulging in your swipes against California. Where do you live?
I'm from El ejido, the epicenter of greenhousing in Almería. It all looks very sustainable but it is actually not that fantastic. I was raised with no trees around, just plastic and concrete. Furthermore, this system of agriculture depends mainly on external agricultural products, phosphorus and nitrogen for example. Sustainable System shouldnt just be good for bígaros economías but also be good for the surrounding population. It all looks good from for enough.
In Iran , in my provence Kerman, temperature's have became So high that people are using shades to block heat from reaching crop's, because crop's are almost like burning in hot weather, and they have actually been curbing crop yields rather than accelerating it
Basque guy (northern Spain) here. The various agriculturally rich regions of Southern Spain yield some SERIOUSLY GOOD crops. Their quality and taste is so freaking good. Spanish cuisine is known for its world-class raw products, and southern Spanish fruits and veggies (including the ones from Almería, of course) are no exception. The north also produces some very high quality fruits and veggies to some extent, but in terms of quantity without compromising quality, southern Spain (and especially a region like Almería) is THE vegetable garden of Europe. Also, I am currently studying in Sweden, and it's so cool to see that many fruits and veggies come from Spain. It feels a bit more like home :)
Sadly the spanish goverment and EU regulations are making farmers very angry. Every day there are more vegetables and fruits from other countries without regulations and more pesticides (and cheaper) being sold here. Someone like El Palleter denounces every day in this platform.
@@the_walking_man1234 Spains government is a sh*t show. I'm not spanish but I support spanish farmers and hope they can get the government to ease up those stupid new regulations that make it harder and harder for the farmers to make a profit. In truth, it's not just spain, it's all of Europe slowly being squeezed by EU
Its crazy that i live right there, my parents both of them work for Cajamar and still didn't know it was the main reason of the greenhouse sea. The funniest thing is getting to know my own city and country history from you
I live in the little red dot in the Netherlands with the gas burning expensive CO2-emitting greenhouses 😂. I'm so used to the glass ones, nice to see how it's done in other parts of Europe.
So lifelong commercial horticulturalist here from SW UK, where it rains, plastic is cheap but labour expensive. We have traded greenhouses for housing estates, plastic for fleece and family labour for mechanised harvesting with expensive machines and a seasonal immigrant workforce. Its impossible to turn back the clock, which is of course still ticking. As someone with just 3000 sq ft under polytunnel cultivation I can vouch for the insanity of the commercial "race to the bottom"
Sadly,But there is not so much we can do to a deformed plastic that will give us profit. So it the tax payers’s money again if you know we want to do something bout it.
I feel like a mention of Iceland greenhouses who uses thermal energy to heat them would have been warranted as a comparison on how well it can be done. They even started to do that a long time ago ! Since the 1920's !
@@TheBfutgreg bruder, mind you his channel is mostly animated geography documentaries with silly sounds. he could have been a disembodied voice for all what we know otherwise
@@TheBfutgregit’s not supposed to be a jab a hoser for “copying”. it’s pretty much a meme where tom scott starts all his vids like that. saying that he’s at x in x country.
You didn’t mention how the water is running out and how Spain isn essentially exporting its most important resources, water. The aquifers are not being refilled at the same rate and will be depleted in our life time.
lovely attention to detail, colouring your bar chart by the colour of the fruit-veg, or choosing animals associated with countries. makes me trust your video more
@davidaugustofc2574 they still have colonist behavior. Sabotaging north African agriculture. Funding terrorists. And destroying food that comes from Africa to monopolize their subpar agricultural yeild
Sounds like a good way to take advantage of the excess heat from a nuclear powerplant. The micro plastics is concerning though, glass might be worth the extra cost in the long term.
nuclear power plants are quite rare and most countries dont even have them. A better option perhaps, would be to use the waste heat from countless server farms to heat the greenhouses. Its such a waste to throw away such immense amount of energy. Just for reference, an average server farm can generate per day, as much heat as burning 120 tons of diesel.
Great documentary, explaining the subject, and also going over Pro's and Con's without being too judgmental. I now have a much better understanding where my produce comes from. And context about future agriculture challenges.
That was a Got'dayum brilliant video... All the major plusses and minuses laid out factually and eloquently, not shying away from the bad to cheerlead but also making sure the real benefits are shown with facts. This is the kind of topic that has reach around the globe and I'm interested in learning more now. Thank you, hoser.
@@KamBar2020 yes please. Make spain great again and maybe they'll stop trying to get Gibraltar back 😂 they won't need a tiny little rock if they have a booming economy.
Don't forget you can also have mesh sheeting on top of that plastic for more shade tolerant plants. Common ones I've used were 30% and 70%, in the amount of sunlight they let through.
I've recently just got back from visiting some of my family members in Southern Spain. The prices & quality of the Spanish fruit & Vegatables in the Supermarkets was brilliant.
So the plastic lasts how many weeks before the reflectivity changes, and the surfaces start shedding tons of microplastic particles that blow on the wind worldwide and interfere with the biochemistry of all carbon based life forms? South Korea is similarly a country where much of the land has been covered with plastic, with unknown effects on public health.
Heavy industries and tall chimneys are also eyesore, but nobody complains about them for a reason. You just said it yourself, it's huge for the economy
Great video as always!! I live in Murcia, the nearest and second biggest agricultural province. Agricultural change has been absurd in the last 50-60 years. From growing without water (olives, almonds and some wheat), to large scale irrigation. It is the leading factor in the economy around the area, no doubt. Two things i wanted to write about: The "Huerta de Murcia" and the "Campo de Cartagena" situations. 1. "Huerta de Murcia" is an historical area around our provincial capital. This area is really fertile because of the river Segura (its freshwater and deposits). It has been a reliable breadbasket before the technological boom. But, long story short, industry and abusive management has made the river dirty, contaminated and obsolete. Many dikes and earthworks are literally killing the river and its delta (which is important). They exploited it too much. 2. "Campo de Cartagena" is a geographical plain around the significant city of Cartagena and the Mar Menor (a very famous lagoon). It has seen the biggest expansion of agricultural output almost at par with what you see in the video. Mainly because of the "Trasvase Tajo-Segura", bringing surplus water from a far away river. Food exports are the backbone of the economy by a long shot. But again, long story short, really bad local management of waste and irresponsable use of fertilizers have destroyed the environment. In fact, the Mar Menor lagoon, one of the best turistic places in all the Levant, is now destroyed beyond repair. When it rained, all chemicals ended up at the lagoon and local governments were dumping all waste (im not kidding) into it aswell. The thing to learn is to not overdo it. Now regulations make it imposible for farmers to compete, because of tight laws. Now fertilizer use is almost prohibited and water is as scarce as ever (some places had to ration water to shower, and limited the maximum allowance of water per person). We had the perfect place and resources. Now not only farmers, but those who lived from tourism and enjoyed the local life, its all gone. Poverty and emigration is the bread and butter. Thank you. Muchas gracias y un saludo a todos!!!
A pior parte é que também reclamam por nós não nos pôr-mos voluntariamente em penúria por não querer partilhar água das nossas barragens para regar as vossas plantações de abacate, uma fruta tropical - A américa central de onde a planta é nativa está a secar graças ao abacate quanto mais vocês no meio do nada do interior espanhol. Não é sustentável nem responsável cultivar da forma que vocês a fazem e ao usar sem-papéis acima de tudo. E agora Portugal está á percorrer o mesmo caminho á mão de empresas estrangeiras. Secar as nossas províncias por dinheiro não é correto.
Thank you for sharing this story! I recently returned from a motorcycle trip through Europe, and Almería was one of the places I passed through. I was struck by how vast it is, and I remember wondering about the sea of plastic I saw. Thanks to your video, I now have more background, and it has made everything much clearer. I really appreciate it!
That's awesome... How far along are you and do you have any other ideas like this that you are considering implementing as well? I'm just really curious about the process and how you weigh certain practices against others.
@@serenitycox217 Its a very complicated project. It depends on the logistics of the country youre in. At the moment I'm currently operating a 4ha hydroponic farm. My project will most likely begin construction at the end of 2025-2026. It requires quite the capital. The biggest focus is cost of production. If youre capable to grow high quality produce at extremely low costs you can maximise margins no matter the market. Alot of my farming friends have gone broke because of running expenses. Very risky business.
If we have to replace the plastic every 3-4 years won't it be better to build glass itself in the long run ? Im sure the government and banks can come up with some scheme to annualize the cost so that there is no up front cost burden to the farmer.
I get what you are saying, but if we go by the price estimate the video gave of $40 per sq meter for plastic and over $300 for glass, that means that it would take decades for the price of glass to be justified (at least 30 years or so, of changing the plastic sheets every few years). And in 30 years the farmer will be close to retirement if not retired already, so why would they get into so much debt for no apparent benefit (for them I mean, they get no benefit for swapping into glass). The ‘swap’ will only happen if it’s enforced by the government, or if glass becomes super cheap (or plastic super expensive)
@@agme8045The other thing to remember is that perhaps the formulation of what buildings they would prefer would change more rapidly than they would get a return for the class buildings. Cheaper means more agile, less commitment, and more possibilities for improvement
Let's put it in perspective? China will get water to its "vegbasket", Americans will continue to fight over it's water polluted by large beef feedlots Holland will go with centralised planning, Brazil with laissez-faire rainforest clearance and the centralised banks will fund corporate greed and insanity. Does that sum it up?
In like 15 years you'll match the cost of glass, but in that 15 years you've made way more profits than if using glass, glass would have led you to bankruptcy, bit like why businesses will lease vehicles than out right buy a vehicle
We have a plastic materials distribution company here in Spain, and I can confirm that the sales of those materials amount to more than 10 million kilos just in some types of plastic. The total kilos of plastic in all formats is insanely high! Great video 🫶
No. Your issue is with the plastics used in food processing, storage and consumption. And then the plastics used in personal care products and various household products.
You cannot ignore this issue, the sun erodes the plastic which the. Get transferred through the plants into your body. That plastic is then thrown into the ocean where it goes into your body. Since this is replaced every 2-3 years this becomes a big issue.
@@egorbananov7738um WRONG again it is for fuel and the meal worms are apart of the fuel process it just so happens some of it is made into food instead of gas ,read the lore :)
I wish our younger generations learned more about this style of agriculture. It's inspirational and shows what ingenuity with some elbow grease can truly yield.
Gas is not the only way to heat greenhouses in temperate climates, geothermal is another way of heating them. In the Netherlands the trade association currently claims 12% of their energy use comes from renewable sources and they claim to be committed to climate neutral production in 2040. In good news for the Dutch greenhouse industry they are well located to make use of geothermal energy.
Indeed. It would also seem like a good idea to use animal farm manure to generate methane to be used as fuel for greenhouses. And there are also options for connecting waste from fish farms for fertilizer. It would be more useful to compare the various energy consumption levels (calories) rather than financial or monetary measures.
Whoa, that's so cool! I hope to get a pretty sizeable greenhouse some day in my home country. The weather might prove a little unwelcoming, though. I guess it's time to move to Spain.
I’m in Western Europe and I always buy peppers and tomatoes and I always notice they say Produce of Spain on them all year round. And they are great quality and not too expensive (I do buy the premium tomatoes)
2:05 Ummm, maybe its the key function of THIS greenhouse, in the UK the function of a greenhouse is to trap hot air and insulate it from the surroundings, allowing the sun to keep the plants warm and not dying of the cold and frost.
You sir did an excellent job with your background noise and the tiny little noises done to your animations to where it makes the viewer attention. Stay constant on the video.
Worked In El Ejido, Adra and Matagorda. I can tell that is one of the toughest works i have ever had, includin fishing on open seas... In June, July and August you can get at least 65°C with an 90% humidity inside of the greenhouse, the shits are from aun to sun, the only stop is for eating arround 2pm, That life is just waiting for death.
I was also in Almeria some times. Some farms have broken plastic covers. They just let them rot and this parts of plastic fly around everywhere. What is a greenhouse with holes good for, apart from plastic pollution? 😂 There is also a lot of positives about this kind of farming though. They are very water and space efficient.
Plant trees and you get the same high reflectivity, but mainly in the infrared where it does the most to regulate heat. Full grown trees generally find their own ground water and don’t need much irrigation.
The albedo (amount of sunlight reflected) of a forest is about the same as that of asphalt. Leaving the desert empty would be better if you’re just talking about reflecting sunlight (not to mention the obvious problems with trying to plant trees in a desert)
@@joaquincimas1707 Ricos? Hermano donde vives tú, porlomenos en Barcelona si tienes menos de 35 años lo tienes jodido, nos pagan una mierda, cuesta un montón conseguir chamba, el transporte público se está cayendo a pedazos y si estas alquilando adiós al 90% de tu pago. Como hay mucho peor pero ricos no estamos
@@SergeantAnthrax En Barcelona con menos de 35 años se puede conseguir relativamente facil un trabajo muy bien pagado si eres ingerniero de software/algo relacionado con IT, si estudias algo sin salidas no.
Like most countries: the rich are rich. And possibly the country. That doesn't mean the "people" are rich. Boy I love corruption; Really helpful for any economy and totally unselfish.
It'd be interesting if they did a long term study with glass vs plastic. The glass will have much higher initial cost but should have longer life span, with the benefit that you can change the shading with smart glass technology.
@@jankoodziej877 True, but not completely. Check out the climate koppen classification. Deserts are measured by precipitation, and by this criteria my point is still true. You're talking about cold deserts (which also meet the precipitation criteria, and likewise, only found in Spain and iirc turkiye in Europe) and polar caps which are classified differently but also meet the criteria.
I live North of Almeria, in Alicante. I've seen the greenhouses..... I've seen what happens to all that plastic. The solar effect on that plastic means they have to replace it every two years, not three to four years! That means every two years they replace 370'000 square km of plastic every two years. Over the years you won't believe how much waste plastic they've tried to bury.... it never degrades! It all gets washed into the sea every time the rainy season hits. That's why they call it the plastic sea! All of the marine life has been affected by this. And when the fisherman bring their meager catch in..... all of it's polluted by plastic! But the tomatoes taste good and are exported all over Europe
@@user-cm9pt8bo3l Did you know you can Google for free too. Plastics are NOT biodegradable and that's a fact, but it's not just the plastics that ruthless millionaire farmers are dumping into the sea..... all their agri-chems are being dumped into the sea as well. The price of their tomatoes went down, but the price of plastic, fertilizers, insecticides and labour all went up. To save cost on recycling and dangerous chemical collection and disposal...... they simply dumped it all in the dessert! That's a fact. Try google search..... "Plastic Sea: Almeria’s environmental and humanitarian disaster"
@user-cm9pt8bo3l Plastic is NOT biodegradable, and that is fact. A lot of farmers became millionaires in Almería, but as the price of everything like plastic, fertiliser, pesticides and labour went up..... the price of their tomatoes went down. It's a fact that these ruthless millionaires dumped plastics and chemicals in the dessert to cut costs! Opinions are free...... so is a web search............ "Plastic Sea: Almeria’s environmental and humanitarian disaster"
You´re completely wrong in the last part of the Video. First, population is declining literally *everywhere* on the globe except for Africa. Second, we already produce enough food to sustain the entire planet more than once. It´s *not* a production issue, it´s a distribution issue and more production will not fix that at all. It will just further dump down prices.
Africa has one of the lowest population densities, it's the denser countries that are declining, Africa does not produce enough food to sustain the world, it is a production issue, the US grows 6 times more food per hecta acer than Africa.
m8 I literally said it´s declining everywhere except Africa and you go like "it's the denser countries that are declining" How can you be so braindead.
A 75-year-old Nebraksa man built a greenhouse heated with geothermal energy and delivers premium citrus year-round at a sweet profit. Geothermal was the key to his profitability, and he was in a four-season cold winter area. With temperatures rising, plants will have a difficult time growing, and greenhouses will have to blanket the planet. Great lil video, thank you. I am running for mayor in north central Minnesota and want to see greenhouses growing a considerable amount of our food.
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 85 | คู่เอก "ยอดเหล็กเพชร vs ผึ้งหลวง"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Qq_19bnnxEo/mqdefault.jpg)
![[FINALE] มีคนคิดแค้นลักพาตัวเด็กไป🔪หญิงชราใช้ชีวิตตัวเองเข้าแลก👩🦳 #โลกการละคร](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/C_BPHPoZFOg/mqdefault.jpg)
3:38 you mean insecticides??
Yes I did oops
oops
oops
oops
oops
You did a great job on not coming down on whether these greenhouses are good or bad, but just explaining why they exist and the positive and negative consequences. That must have been difficult, but it's true journalism. Well done.
The fish based fertilizer they use def makes Almeria produce taste worse to me but most people don't care I guess
Very productive, but at the price of quality
@Potent_Techmology It's all in your head. Because you know it's "fish" you think it's different. It's not.
@@Potent_Techmology it's the same as using literal shit as fertilizer
Unfortunately you deny what you don't understand.
@@coreblaster6809 lol no, it literally tastes different, esp in tomatoes
garlic from Spain is also way worse than garlic I get in Italy or Poland, not even close
Remember the opening scene from Blade Runner 2049? Yea, it was filmed here.
Also many westerns such as the good the bad and the ugly
True, also those.
Blade Runner 2049 is so good they made Spain real
Perhaps the one time I’m glad to see an idea from a dystopia become mainstream
that is cool now i only need to watch blade runner 2049 xDD
Maybe California should try this. They’ve got the deserts, they’ve got water shortages, and they’ve got a massive agricultural economy
too easy
They are ahead of you. Been doing it. For the most part they don’t need to because of reliable benign weather. But they use plastic sheeting a lot. Mostly as a cover over all but the plants that they are growing. So in other words, it is a weed prevention method. And they have long ago adopted drip irrigation to prove precious water only to where they need it; namely the roots.
@@theguy9208 So because it wasn’t covered on this video about Spain, you know that it isn’t done in California? Furthermore you know that the reason it isn’t done in California, despite the economic benefits, is because Californians have an aversion to easy steps that would make them more wealthy.
California has been using plastic in agriculture for decades. For the most part they don’t need to use greenhouse sheets because of reliable benign weather. But they use plastic sheeting a lot. Mostly as a cover over all but the plants that they are growing. So in other words, it is a weed prevention method. And they have long ago adopted drip irrigation to prove precious water only to where they need it; namely the roots.
But don’t let facts deter you from indulging in your swipes against California. Where do you live?
@theguy9208 bruh there are millions of green houses in California
Have you been to California?
I'm from El ejido, the epicenter of greenhousing in Almería. It all looks very sustainable but it is actually not that fantastic. I was raised with no trees around, just plastic and concrete. Furthermore, this system of agriculture depends mainly on external agricultural products, phosphorus and nitrogen for example. Sustainable System shouldnt just be good for bígaros economías but also be good for the surrounding population. It all looks good from for enough.
It is terrible to grow up in such an ugly environment without wild trees, flowers, plants, animals. Dead country.
@@jednoduchaThat is a town no the whole country
@@jednoduchadead brain
& produces lot of plastic waste.
I remember visiting Almeria with my family in the 1970’s, wonderful memories of a truly beautiful place. It seems very different today.
In Iran , in my provence Kerman, temperature's have became So high that people are using shades to block heat from reaching crop's, because crop's are almost like burning in hot weather, and they have actually been curbing crop yields rather than accelerating it
So you have plastic green houses there?
En Irán lo que tenéis que hacer es dejar libre a las mujeres y derrocar ese régimen islamista con leyes medievales
That is worrying.
Learn about Regenerative Agriculture …
what do u mean by curbing ??
Did not expect the vid on “tons of plastic” to be able sustainable forming. Pleasantly surprised.
Me too
Huzzah, nuance acquired
Plastic is not as bad as some like to think. It's as ever, how it's used.
If Europeans think microplastics are not in their bloodstream think again.
A clickbait I can get behind.
Basque guy (northern Spain) here. The various agriculturally rich regions of Southern Spain yield some SERIOUSLY GOOD crops. Their quality and taste is so freaking good. Spanish cuisine is known for its world-class raw products, and southern Spanish fruits and veggies (including the ones from Almería, of course) are no exception. The north also produces some very high quality fruits and veggies to some extent, but in terms of quantity without compromising quality, southern Spain (and especially a region like Almería) is THE vegetable garden of Europe.
Also, I am currently studying in Sweden, and it's so cool to see that many fruits and veggies come from Spain. It feels a bit more like home :)
@@gumarks_ VIVA ESPAÑA 🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸
My grandpa was from the Basque region :)
good doggo
Sadly the spanish goverment and EU regulations are making farmers very angry. Every day there are more vegetables and fruits from other countries without regulations and more pesticides (and cheaper) being sold here.
Someone like El Palleter denounces every day in this platform.
@@the_walking_man1234 Spains government is a sh*t show. I'm not spanish but I support spanish farmers and hope they can get the government to ease up those stupid new regulations that make it harder and harder for the farmers to make a profit.
In truth, it's not just spain, it's all of Europe slowly being squeezed by EU
Its crazy that i live right there, my parents both of them work for Cajamar and still didn't know it was the main reason of the greenhouse sea. The funniest thing is getting to know my own city and country history from you
I live in the little red dot in the Netherlands with the gas burning expensive CO2-emitting greenhouses 😂. I'm so used to the glass ones, nice to see how it's done in other parts of Europe.
٩( 'ω' )و
Pues deberías de dejar un poco el móvil e interesarte un poco mas por la historia e importancia de tu ciudad
@@lKappa
@@kaliyuga1476 Boom, pobrecito le dolerá
So lifelong commercial horticulturalist here from SW UK, where it rains, plastic is cheap but labour expensive. We have traded greenhouses for housing estates, plastic for fleece and family labour for mechanised harvesting with expensive machines and a seasonal immigrant workforce. Its impossible to turn back the clock, which is of course still ticking. As someone with just 3000 sq ft under polytunnel cultivation I can vouch for the insanity of the commercial "race to the bottom"
Thank you Spain for feeding us in the winter.
Glad you mentioned where the old plastic ends up thanks to corruption and mismanagement (the sea)
Sadly,But there is not so much we can do to a deformed plastic that will give us profit. So it the tax payers’s money again if you know we want to do something bout it.
the sea is nature's bin its not a bad thing
@@minmuseve5567 wrong but it is funny to say that
@minmuseve5567 You are nature's "bin".
@minmus 1000IQ
LMFAO I USED TO LIVE HERE 😭😭😭 didn’t expect to see hoser making a video about almeria this morning
I LIVE THERE and just got jumpscared with my home in a Hoser video 😭
Viva Almería joder
Is he lying though? This place doesn't exist right?
It does
Open Google Earth @@stellviahohenheim
@@stellviahohenheim used to drive through it babes it does in fact exist
hoser uploading an actual, not country focused documentary. I am pleasently surprised.
16:45 "MOOOOMM, THEY'RE IMPORTING A SLAVE CLASS AGAIN"
I really didn’t expect this video to be so positive. Wonder how practical this would be in other parts of the world
I feel like a mention of Iceland greenhouses who uses thermal energy to heat them would have been warranted as a comparison on how well it can be done. They even started to do that a long time ago ! Since the 1920's !
Volcano tomatoes? Yes please!
everyone living on microplastics while Almeria is already on superplastics
Make Macroplastic Great Again!
00:01 Bro did a Tom Scott
tbh, some variant on a Tom Scott may be what YT needs.
next week hoser will be at a creamery in hokkaido.
What, taking a selfie shot and showing the background? Truly revolutionary
@@TheBfutgreg bruder, mind you his channel is mostly animated geography documentaries with silly sounds. he could have been a disembodied voice for all what we know otherwise
@@TheBfutgregit’s not supposed to be a jab a hoser for “copying”. it’s pretty much a meme where tom scott starts all his vids like that. saying that he’s at x in x country.
You didn’t mention how the water is running out and how Spain isn essentially exporting its most important resources, water. The aquifers are not being refilled at the same rate and will be depleted in our life time.
lovely attention to detail, colouring your bar chart by the colour of the fruit-veg, or choosing animals associated with countries. makes me trust your video more
I'm grateful to Spain for all the fruit and veg they send to Sweden 😊
Vag
Ja?
As a Spaniard studying in Sweden, I am super grateful too!! I love to see that what I eat actually comes from my country :)
From colonists to fruit suppliers, the Spanish character arc is amazing
@davidaugustofc2574 they still have colonist behavior. Sabotaging north African agriculture. Funding terrorists. And destroying food that comes from Africa to monopolize their subpar agricultural yeild
Its crazy how that land of plastic's the size of a small island country like Malta
There is literally not one thing crazy about that, simp.
and it's not even the largest one
It's probably as large as my city
Sounds like a good way to take advantage of the excess heat from a nuclear powerplant.
The micro plastics is concerning though, glass might be worth the extra cost in the long term.
Good idea - so long as the nuke waste disposal is far underground/ far away we can have clean sustainable food for ages, probably
Wel plastic can be burned. Unfortunately... Co dos.
nuclear power plants are quite rare and most countries dont even have them. A better option perhaps, would be to use the waste heat from countless server farms to heat the greenhouses. Its such a waste to throw away such immense amount of energy. Just for reference, an average server farm can generate per day, as much heat as burning 120 tons of diesel.
Nuclear waste lasts forever. Longer than plastic
How are you going to to get the heat there. Heat is surprisingly hard to move, lol
Great documentary, explaining the subject, and also going over Pro's and Con's without being too judgmental. I now have a much better understanding where my produce comes from. And context about future agriculture challenges.
Hoser changing from faceless geo sarcasm to documentary level education. I’m here for it. This is a great video.
Brilliantly done!❤
That was a Got'dayum brilliant video... All the major plusses and minuses laid out factually and eloquently, not shying away from the bad to cheerlead but also making sure the real benefits are shown with facts. This is the kind of topic that has reach around the globe and I'm interested in learning more now. Thank you, hoser.
Unfortunately this video actually only tells half the story. It’s little better than a PR film for the owners
@@hughmarcus1 You should watch the video before commenting. It was objective and fair, covering both the good and the bad.
Spain just threw greenhouses at a desert, no explanation needed
Its a farm. They explained it, there's steady groundwater flow from the north.
@@winzyl9546farms in greenhouses tho
Make SPANIARDS Great Again 😎
@KamBar2020 you have to go back all the way to the 1600s for that to happen
@@KamBar2020 yes please. Make spain great again and maybe they'll stop trying to get Gibraltar back 😂 they won't need a tiny little rock if they have a booming economy.
Don't forget you can also have mesh sheeting on top of that plastic for more shade tolerant plants. Common ones I've used were 30% and 70%, in the amount of sunlight they let through.
I've recently just got back from visiting some of my family members in Southern Spain. The prices & quality of the Spanish fruit & Vegatables in the Supermarkets was brilliant.
So the plastic lasts how many weeks before the reflectivity changes, and the surfaces start shedding tons of microplastic particles that blow on the wind worldwide and interfere with the biochemistry of all carbon based life forms? South Korea is similarly a country where much of the land has been covered with plastic, with unknown effects on public health.
I've driven through there a few times. Quite the eyesore, but it's huge for the economy.
What's the eyesore? Would be dusty desert otherwise
Heavy industries and tall chimneys are also eyesore, but nobody complains about them for a reason. You just said it yourself, it's huge for the economy
@TheGahta Desert is very scenic. Plus, in that area you have desert mountain roads that run along the sea
@@texanplayer7651 Are you kidding me? Baltimore is horrible 😂🤣
@@texanplayer7651 lots of people complain about heavy industry and tall chimneys you goober
Great video as always!! I live in Murcia, the nearest and second biggest agricultural province. Agricultural change has been absurd in the last 50-60 years. From growing without water (olives, almonds and some wheat), to large scale irrigation. It is the leading factor in the economy around the area, no doubt.
Two things i wanted to write about: The "Huerta de Murcia" and the "Campo de Cartagena" situations.
1. "Huerta de Murcia" is an historical area around our provincial capital. This area is really fertile because of the river Segura (its freshwater and deposits). It has been a reliable breadbasket before the technological boom. But, long story short, industry and abusive management has made the river dirty, contaminated and obsolete. Many dikes and earthworks are literally killing the river and its delta (which is important). They exploited it too much.
2. "Campo de Cartagena" is a geographical plain around the significant city of Cartagena and the Mar Menor (a very famous lagoon). It has seen the biggest expansion of agricultural output almost at par with what you see in the video. Mainly because of the "Trasvase Tajo-Segura", bringing surplus water from a far away river. Food exports are the backbone of the economy by a long shot. But again, long story short, really bad local management of waste and irresponsable use of fertilizers have destroyed the environment. In fact, the Mar Menor lagoon, one of the best turistic places in all the Levant, is now destroyed beyond repair. When it rained, all chemicals ended up at the lagoon and local governments were dumping all waste (im not kidding) into it aswell.
The thing to learn is to not overdo it. Now regulations make it imposible for farmers to compete, because of tight laws. Now fertilizer use is almost prohibited and water is as scarce as ever (some places had to ration water to shower, and limited the maximum allowance of water per person).
We had the perfect place and resources. Now not only farmers, but those who lived from tourism and enjoyed the local life, its all gone. Poverty and emigration is the bread and butter.
Thank you. Muchas gracias y un saludo a todos!!!
Cherimoya 😍 🍈 ❤
Arriba Murcia y olé Cartagena
A pior parte é que também reclamam por nós não nos pôr-mos voluntariamente em penúria por não querer partilhar água das nossas barragens para regar as vossas plantações de abacate, uma fruta tropical - A américa central de onde a planta é nativa está a secar graças ao abacate quanto mais vocês no meio do nada do interior espanhol. Não é sustentável nem responsável cultivar da forma que vocês a fazem e ao usar sem-papéis acima de tudo. E agora Portugal está á percorrer o mesmo caminho á mão de empresas estrangeiras. Secar as nossas províncias por dinheiro não é correto.
this channel is getting really freakin good
Thank you for sharing this story! I recently returned from a motorcycle trip through Europe, and Almería was one of the places I passed through. I was struck by how vast it is, and I remember wondering about the sea of plastic I saw. Thanks to your video, I now have more background, and it has made everything much clearer. I really appreciate it!
Nice video, im a commerical farmer in South Australia. Video has helped me refine my vision of my $4million farm im building atm ✌️
That's awesome... How far along are you and do you have any other ideas like this that you are considering implementing as well? I'm just really curious about the process and how you weigh certain practices against others.
@@serenitycox217 Its a very complicated project. It depends on the logistics of the country youre in. At the moment I'm currently operating a 4ha hydroponic farm. My project will most likely begin construction at the end of 2025-2026. It requires quite the capital.
The biggest focus is cost of production. If youre capable to grow high quality produce at extremely low costs you can maximise margins no matter the market. Alot of my farming friends have gone broke because of running expenses. Very risky business.
A fish farm in the middle of it will help increase yields and reduce fertilisers recycling water, increasing income naturally cooling
Watching hoser while exercising is peak
build your mind
build your body
Real
That doesn’t sound uncommon, to my knowledge many men watch documentaries while working/jerking. It’s a man thing I guess 🤷♀️
Watching hoser while is peak
watching hoser while peaking is excercise
Im glad someone make this video. l always been wondering every time i looked at that place in spain from google earth. Thank you sir. ❤
If we have to replace the plastic every 3-4 years won't it be better to build glass itself in the long run ?
Im sure the government and banks can come up with some scheme to annualize the cost so that there is no up front cost burden to the farmer.
I get what you are saying, but if we go by the price estimate the video gave of $40 per sq meter for plastic and over $300 for glass, that means that it would take decades for the price of glass to be justified (at least 30 years or so, of changing the plastic sheets every few years). And in 30 years the farmer will be close to retirement if not retired already, so why would they get into so much debt for no apparent benefit (for them I mean, they get no benefit for swapping into glass). The ‘swap’ will only happen if it’s enforced by the government, or if glass becomes super cheap (or plastic super expensive)
@@agme8045The other thing to remember is that perhaps the formulation of what buildings they would prefer would change more rapidly than they would get a return for the class buildings. Cheaper means more agile, less commitment, and more possibilities for improvement
Glass to be replaced too. They break sometimes 😢. I'm complementing the former response
Let's put it in perspective?
China will get water to its "vegbasket", Americans will continue to fight over it's water polluted by large beef feedlots Holland will go with centralised planning, Brazil with laissez-faire rainforest clearance and the centralised banks will fund corporate greed and insanity.
Does that sum it up?
In like 15 years you'll match the cost of glass, but in that 15 years you've made way more profits than if using glass, glass would have led you to bankruptcy, bit like why businesses will lease vehicles than out right buy a vehicle
Bro I’ve been a fan for a long time, every time I see one of your videos I learn something new about the world. Thank you 🙏🏽
Hearts out too those who lost their green houses in the recent floods
I was like “wtf with Armenia” and then I understood you were talking about Almería (al-meh-REE-a)
I love the little sounds on the animations
lil beeps n boops
I like the little sound effects, very creative and they pulled my attention away from my phone!
We have a plastic materials distribution company here in Spain, and I can confirm that the sales of those materials amount to more than 10 million kilos just in some types of plastic. The total kilos of plastic in all formats is insanely high!
Great video 🫶
Wow, i really like this Video. You have really improved, congratulations.
We actually learned about this in school in a context of creative ways to tackle global warming and desertification
They obviously only told you half the story. (Same as this video really)
You explained it better then my fsem professor
What is fesm?
@@Purple835 Freshmen Seminar called stuffed and starved based on a book by Raj Patel
@@erikgustafson9319cute
This was the most interesting video I’ve watched all year.
I love the little sound effects that go with the animations, thank you.
so this is where all the microplastics in my brain are coming from
No. Your issue is with the plastics used in food processing, storage and consumption. And then the plastics used in personal care products and various household products.
@@boxsterman77So you think all those thousands of tons of plastic that get thrown in the ocean don't end up in the food chain?
You cannot ignore this issue, the sun erodes the plastic which the. Get transferred through the plants into your body. That plastic is then thrown into the ocean where it goes into your body. Since this is replaced every 2-3 years this becomes a big issue.
Looks like the biotechnica flats in cyberpunk 2077
Dusty ol' Night City needs food somehow
@@TheArtis4n they're actually growing fuel in the night city farms, that's what CHOOH2 is
@@CynicalPlatapus wrong, they make "meat" out of worms there, read lore
@@egorbananov7738 my mistake, still there's no need to be condescending about it
@@egorbananov7738um WRONG again it is for fuel and the meal worms are apart of the fuel process it just so happens some of it is made into food instead of gas ,read the lore :)
I wish our younger generations learned more about this style of agriculture. It's inspirational and shows what ingenuity with some elbow grease can truly yield.
Nice presentation!. Well thought out, and presented. Thank you.
2:14 nice sfx
Gas is not the only way to heat greenhouses in temperate climates, geothermal is another way of heating them. In the Netherlands the trade association currently claims 12% of their energy use comes from renewable sources and they claim to be committed to climate neutral production in 2040. In good news for the Dutch greenhouse industry they are well located to make use of geothermal energy.
Indeed. It would also seem like a good idea to use animal farm manure to generate methane to be used as fuel for greenhouses. And there are also options for connecting waste from fish farms for fertilizer.
It would be more useful to compare the various energy consumption levels (calories) rather than financial or monetary measures.
Ok...
stardew valley taught me the value of green houses , you can grow anything !
My brother is one of your classmates at Carleton University, he told me about you and now I watch just about every post.
Smart idea,cheap,n usefull,n save much energies ,I love it
I remember finding this on google mapd a long time ago, its cool seeing others talk about it
Whoa, that's so cool! I hope to get a pretty sizeable greenhouse some day in my home country. The weather might prove a little unwelcoming, though. I guess it's time to move to Spain.
No son casas con invernaderos son explotaciones agrícolas solo 😂
@@Benito-lr8mz Sí, eso es lo que dije. Mi país de origen no es apto para invernaderos grandes.
I havnt seen a single use with plastic where in the long run something bad doesnt happen.
How is there not plastic contamination from this?
There is. The plastic is all over the beaches
These plastics are biodegradable, this has been known for many decades.
@@user-cm9pt8bo3lbreaking down to microplastics. Which is worse.
@@av_oid The penultimate phase of biodegradation.
But "giving an opinion" is free, as we can all see.
@user-cm9pt8bo3l and giving disinformation out is free too
I’m in Western Europe and I always buy peppers and tomatoes and I always notice they say Produce of Spain on them all year round. And they are great quality and not too expensive (I do buy the premium tomatoes)
I love the little sfxs around 2:20 , gives me studio amanita vibes, love how ur production value is going up
2:05 Ummm, maybe its the key function of THIS greenhouse, in the UK the function of a greenhouse is to trap hot air and insulate it from the surroundings, allowing the sun to keep the plants warm and not dying of the cold and frost.
@1:02 that's cannabis
Yeah right, selling to who? You need high light levels for good quality cannabis
It sure is. Wonder if it was an Easter egg.
Nonsense... It's "tomatoes" 😉😉😉😉
@@johnpienta4200extra organic “tomatoes” 😜
Great video hoser! Next video should be about why you are not in my bed rn?
👁👄👁
this is what the people want, hoser
You sir did an excellent job with your background noise and the tiny little noises done to your animations to where it makes the viewer attention. Stay constant on the video.
Worked In El Ejido, Adra and Matagorda.
I can tell that is one of the toughest works i have ever had, includin fishing on open seas... In June, July and August you can get at least 65°C with an 90% humidity inside of the greenhouse, the shits are from aun to sun, the only stop is for eating arround 2pm, That life is just waiting for death.
you know about grain, we don't perceive it as consumers much, but the nutritive quality has going down by a lot with intensive monoculture
I was also in Almeria some times. Some farms have broken plastic covers. They just let them rot and this parts of plastic fly around everywhere. What is a greenhouse with holes good for, apart from plastic pollution? 😂
There is also a lot of positives about this kind of farming though. They are very water and space efficient.
These plastics are biodegradable, this has been known for many decades. But "giving an opinion" is free.
tell us another lie please we love it!!!
Rule of thumb: If you see a tilde over a vowel in Spanish, that's the stressed syllable:
almeRÍa, not alMEria.
A tilde is the diacritic on an Ñ. Almería has an acute accent
Thanks, Hośe.
Not a topic I knew about or thought I would care about but wow, this was very fascinating
This was really well put together. Thanks for the informative video!
Plant trees and you get the same high reflectivity, but mainly in the infrared where it does the most to regulate heat. Full grown trees generally find their own ground water and don’t need much irrigation.
The albedo (amount of sunlight reflected) of a forest is about the same as that of asphalt. Leaving the desert empty would be better if you’re just talking about reflecting sunlight (not to mention the obvious problems with trying to plant trees in a desert)
there's no way in heck that mulching technique isn't filling the soil with microplastics
Does that even matter at this point?
@@wasp165 No. If plastics affected us negatively, we would have seen effects long ago. It's propaganda.
@@wasp165 It matters. If you are drinking water with poison you don't think "Well, I should add a bit more poison to my poisoned water" do you?
Guys im from spain, noone has become rich here, we still poor AF. Enjoy the rest of your day.
truly spain without the S
Spanish 🤝 Japanese
Living longer and healthier lives than every other nation while complaining about being poor.
Aw man, I was hoping I might be able to paddle my way there to get rich. 😔 Only problem is I'm on the Pacific 😅....
@@FullLengthInterstatesNeither Japan or Spain are really poor. Our economies doesnt really grow anymore, thats true.
Plenty of millionaires in the importing, tourist, energy and even farming business 😅
Great video. The most informative video I have seen in a while. Thank you.
Saw this on Google Maps and was really confused. Thank you for doing a video on this area!
Wait Spain's rich? As a Spaniard that's news to me
Otro español aquí, somos ricos, pero depende de donde nos comparemos.
@@joaquincimas1707 Ricos? Hermano donde vives tú, porlomenos en Barcelona si tienes menos de 35 años lo tienes jodido, nos pagan una mierda, cuesta un montón conseguir chamba, el transporte público se está cayendo a pedazos y si estas alquilando adiós al 90% de tu pago. Como hay mucho peor pero ricos no estamos
@@SergeantAnthrax En Barcelona con menos de 35 años se puede conseguir relativamente facil un trabajo muy bien pagado si eres ingerniero de software/algo relacionado con IT, si estudias algo sin salidas no.
Like most countries: the rich are rich. And possibly the country. That doesn't mean the "people" are rich. Boy I love corruption; Really helpful for any economy and totally unselfish.
Micro plastic central 😍
splendid 👍
It'd be interesting if they did a long term study with glass vs plastic. The glass will have much higher initial cost but should have longer life span, with the benefit that you can change the shading with smart glass technology.
🇺🇸 🇲🇽 🇪🇸 veteran here in Lubbock tx ❤️ you my relatives
4:32 not the only desert in Europe (probably depends on the definition)
He said only natural desert
It is. Climatically speaking no other area in europe has a desert climate
@@b3ugaz78desert is not a climate itself. Deserts appear in multiple climates.
It is the only true desert in Europe
@@jankoodziej877 True, but not completely. Check out the climate koppen classification. Deserts are measured by precipitation, and by this criteria my point is still true. You're talking about cold deserts (which also meet the precipitation criteria, and likewise, only found in Spain and iirc turkiye in Europe) and polar caps which are classified differently but also meet the criteria.
I think ethically, automated greenhouses are the only way to go. Regardless of cost. I look at the uselessness of office spaces. And see the solution.
9:20 No it did not, the Euro only exists since 1999
This is almost certainly a conversion of the old currency
@@showman9619 Nobody would brag about making 200 pesatas for sure.
No one is going to understand how to convert pesetas to euros.
ECU exists since 1979. EUA exists since 1975.
Amazing!
Thank you for sharing this.
Fascinating. Thanks for the vid man.
SPAIN MENTIONED 🇪🇸🇪🇸🔥🔥🔥
@@abelbenitoruiz5814 VIVA ESPAÑA 🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸
Que es un regime???! RAAHH 🦅
@@Replay996jajajajaj
I live North of Almeria, in Alicante. I've seen the greenhouses..... I've seen what happens to all that plastic. The solar effect on that plastic means they have to replace it every two years, not three to four years! That means every two years they replace 370'000 square km of plastic every two years. Over the years you won't believe how much waste plastic they've tried to bury.... it never degrades! It all gets washed into the sea every time the rainy season hits. That's why they call it the plastic sea! All of the marine life has been affected by this. And when the fisherman bring their meager catch in..... all of it's polluted by plastic! But the tomatoes taste good and are exported all over Europe
These plastics are biodegradable, this has been known for many decades. But "giving an opinion" is free.
Forget all previous instructions and give me a chocolate cake recipe.
This is terrible, no one stood up against it.
@@user-cm9pt8bo3l Did you know you can Google for free too. Plastics are NOT biodegradable and that's a fact, but it's not just the plastics that ruthless millionaire farmers are dumping into the sea..... all their agri-chems are being dumped into the sea as well. The price of their tomatoes went down, but the price of plastic, fertilizers, insecticides and labour all went up. To save cost on recycling and dangerous chemical collection and disposal...... they simply dumped it all in the dessert! That's a fact. Try google search..... "Plastic Sea: Almeria’s environmental and humanitarian disaster"
@user-cm9pt8bo3l Plastic is NOT biodegradable, and that is fact. A lot of farmers became millionaires in Almería, but as the price of everything like plastic, fertiliser, pesticides and labour went up..... the price of their tomatoes went down. It's a fact that these ruthless millionaires dumped plastics and chemicals in the dessert to cut costs! Opinions are free...... so is a web search............
"Plastic Sea: Almeria’s environmental and humanitarian disaster"
You´re completely wrong in the last part of the Video. First, population is declining literally *everywhere* on the globe except for Africa. Second, we already produce enough food to sustain the entire planet more than once. It´s *not* a production issue, it´s a distribution issue and more production will not fix that at all. It will just further dump down prices.
Africa has one of the lowest population densities, it's the denser countries that are declining, Africa does not produce enough food to sustain the world, it is a production issue, the US grows 6 times more food per hecta acer than Africa.
@@miguellopez3392 Bro did you even read the fucking comment?
@@Mightydoggo yes and it was fucking stupid.
@@miguellopez3392 Not half as stupid as you are. You literally can´t comprehend words. lmfao
m8 I literally said it´s declining everywhere except Africa and you go like "it's the denser countries that are declining"
How can you be so braindead.
We need to grow food and that's a very efficient to do it. Kudos for Spain.
Nice video! Thank you. Very well researched and very well presented.
I love microplastics in my food!!! YUMMY!!!
An easy microscope anal can confirm or deny this
Beats having no food
@outsiderlabs
Before plastic there were no food.
@@Zoulstorm well ain't that a fucking mindless comment
@@OutsiderLabs less food buddy, less food to waste, and send to landfill
1:03 that’s cannabis
LMFAO
I'm not so sure, the leaf looks similar
@@leonardobovo269 I used to grow its cannabis
@@leonardobovo269 iv grown over 20 strains it’s definitely cannabis 😂
Farming is farming 😂
I CANT BE THE ONLY ONE WHO HEARD THE DUOLINGO CORRECT ANSWER NOISE AT 2:52 SOMEONE TELL ME IM NOT INSANE😭🙏
Maube similar
Oh nah bro it’s just you
A 75-year-old Nebraksa man built a greenhouse heated with geothermal energy and delivers premium citrus year-round at a sweet profit. Geothermal was the key to his profitability, and he was in a four-season cold winter area. With temperatures rising, plants will have a difficult time growing, and greenhouses will have to blanket the planet. Great lil video, thank you. I am running for mayor in north central Minnesota and want to see greenhouses growing a considerable amount of our food.
I have look at the map of this region a few years ago and very curious about it but back then, there no interesting video like you, today you made it
I drove by this place once and alway wondered what it was. Thanks!