ABSTRACT
This dataset presents data collected from joint cropland management practices survey in agri-food cooperatives of Mediterranean Spanish Regions. The objective was to examine to what extent cooperatives offer joint services, including joint management or integral exploitation of smallholdings, for the incorporation of new professionals. Data collection was conducted to five agri-food organizations: three agri-food cooperatives federations -Castilla-La Mancha, Comunitat Valenciana, and Murcia-, two second-degree agri-food cooperatives -Anecoop and Unió Nuts-, all of them located in Mediterranean Spanish Regions. A total of 1.168 survey questionnaires were distributed between July 2020 and February 2021 across five organizations through the snowball sampling method. Data from 112 collected questionnaires were correctly answered, but 106 were selected for analysis. The dataset includes socioeconomic data, productive information, and innovative characteristics from agri-food cooperatives surveyed, all in order to be able to examine the relationship between those factors and joint cropland management practices they carry on.
ABSTRACT
The concentration of livestock production is problematic due to environmental concerns. European regulations are guiding the sector to become increasingly sustainable and, at the same time, maintaining the population in rural areas. The aim was to determine suitable areas in municipalities where livestock is presented as a market option. The methodology applied was based on the combination of multi-criteria methods and geographic information system (GIS) techniques, following three steps: removal of unsuitable zones by sectoral regulations (STEP 1); removal of unsuitable zones due to urban planning, and environmental recommendations (STEP 2); and evaluating the resulting areas depending on the importance of socio-economic, sectoral, and environmental characteristics. This study was based in a Spanish region with ongoing conflicts over land use on the coast but with a high number of rural municipalities at risk of depopulation in the interior. The results showed that 33% of the municipalities of the Valencian Community (VC) had suitable and outranking areas for the development of the swine sector. The 43 municipalities with the highest scores were because of the socio-economic factor and confirmed that suitable livestock development in municipalities with the highest risk of depopulation and low rural tourism activity was a key issue for development.
