INNOVATION CONTEXT IN SPANISH RURALITY: THE CASE OF THE ANDALUSIA RICE FIELDS

Abstract

This article presents a descriptive statistical analysis on the relationship of rice growing and the retention of the rural population on the territory in Spain. Data provided by FAOSTAT (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), the National Statistics Institute (Instituto Nacional de Estadística, INE) and the Statistics and Cartography Institute of Andalusia were used. Results show that technological and non-technological innovation based on sustainable production has facilitated the increase in yield of paddy rice production, avoiding processes of rural depopulation in the municipalities of study.