Common Agricultural Policy and Depopulation in the Territories of Inland Spain (Castilla y León)

Abstract

At a time when rural depopulation is part of the political agenda and the concerns of Spanish society, and the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is the subject of debate, it is appropriate to assess the relationship between the agricultural model and rural devitalization. The aim of this article is to critically review the CAP by analysing the aid channelled from the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) to agricultural territories suffering from depopulation problems, as is the case of Castilla y León. In order to achieve the objective, the statistical exploitation and cartographic elaboration of the data on beneficiaries of EAGF funds is used. The results show that the CAP has consolidated different categories of beneficiaries who perform agricultural activities in an unequal manner, which has a direct impact on the demographic problems of rural areas. The paper concludes by providing some ideas for a future policy that, in contrast to the exclusively productivist model, favours alternatives where agriculture goes beyond its productive function and takes advantage of its potential to contribute to rural revitalization.