Inquiry into the black box of the cereal system. Towards the supression of fallow in the Andalusian countryside: Jerez de la Frontera (1750-1922)

This work analyzes long-term changes in land use (from the mid-18th century to the first third of the 20th century) in the farmlands of Jerez de la Frontera. Of the various elements to consider, the analysis focuses on the types of rotation used and, especially, on the evolution of fallow and temporary wasteland. The main conclusion is that there was an intensification of land cultivation in two different stages. First during the first half of the 19th century, within the framework of organic agriculture, without yields suffering, simultaneously with the consolidation of large agricultural and livestock operations, oriented to the production of wheat. This trend was resumed and advanced in the first third of the 20th century (2nd stage), in full transition towards inorganic agriculture, with the novelty that the intensification was accompanied by a significant increase in land productivity. There are indications that what happened in Jerez could also occur in other parts of the Andalusian countryside, although with a certain time lag.