The Islamic conquest of the Iberian Peninsula in 711 inaugurated a new era. Al Andalus propelled a renovating culture in the fields of science, arts, thought, social organization, economic structure and urban conception. But not only that. It also gave a powerful impetus to agriculture, with the introduction of the introduction of new crops and advanced techniques, which some have dared to call the green revolution.

Beyond the nomenclature, there is an almost general consensus among specialists on the profound agro-food transformations that took place in Al Andalus. At the beginning of the 8th century, rural life in the peninsula was based on a family economy based on the cultivation of cereals and the raising of horses, sheep and pigs. It was a poor and not very varied agriculture, which took advantage of the hydraulic advances introduced by the Romans centuries ago and the agricultural practices of triennial rotation.

The new Arab conquerors reused the pre-existing farming systems, but gave them a new dimension, renewed the agricultural methods and expanded the fertile area to unprecedented heights. This is certified by numerous scientific studies, including those signed by Andrew M. Watson and Expiración García.

Research shows that the Muslims introduced new plant varieties into the West, while at the same time intensifying the cultivation of others already known in Europe. Most of the new imported species came from the East and, above all, from India. Sugar cane, for example, was discovered by the Arabs in the ancient Sassanid empire and, at the beginning of the 9th century, there is already evidence of it being cultivated in Salobreña and Almuñécar. Malaga, Denia, Castellón and the banks of the Guadalquivir also record sugar cane plantations in the Andalusian period.

Citrus fruits are another Islamic find introduced in the Iberian Peninsula. Everything indicates that the citron was already known in the Mediterranean before the irruption of Islam. This was not the case with the orange, lemon and grapefruit trees, whose appearance on Spanish soil dates back to the Andalusian period. In fact, the chronicles refer to the “Seville orange tree” as the first citrus fruit to enter Al Andalus, as described by the geographer Al Razi in the 10th century. It was precisely in that same century that Almanzor fitted out the Patio de los Naranjos of the great Mosque of Cordoba. Most citrus fruits originate in India.

Asian rice also comes from the great subcontinent. And it was the Arabs who transmitted it throughout the Islamic world, until it reached Al Andalus. The expansion of irrigation greatly favored rice cultivation, mainly in Valencia, and to a lesser extent in Cordoba. Sorghum or zahina, which requires a warm and dry climate, was used both for animal feed and human consumption.

Bananas and plantains come from India and were also spread throughout Asia, the Middle East and the Maghreb through the Islamic conquests of the 7th and 8th centuries. This tasty fruit initially had problems adapting to the Iberian Peninsula because it could not withstand cold winters and required large amounts of water. The new species required a humid climate, which, in the Mediterranean basin, is not always available. And it was this challenge that, to a large extent, encouraged the expansion of the hydraulic canal network. The Vega of Granada, together with Almuñécar and Salobreña, were the ideal areas for planting bananas.

Fruits and vegetables, in previously unknown varieties, spread throughout the new territories conquered by Al Andalus. Watermelons, eggplants, spinach or colocasia are already mentioned in the 10th century Cordoba Calendar or in the countless agricultural manuals that began to abound between the 11th and 12th centuries.

Many other vegetables, of industrial use for the textile industry, also entered Spain by the hand of the Arabs. This is the case of hemp, henna, indigo and, of course, cotton, which found favorable soil for its cultivation in Guadix, Elvira, Valencia, Mallorca or the Algarve. A flourishing cotton industry developed in Seville.

There are some species whose introduction has been erroneously attributed to the Arabs. For example, apricots, date palms, almond trees, pomegranate trees and saffron, which were already known to the Romans centuries ago.

The great agricultural revolution of the Muslims in Al Andalus could not have been carried out without an innovative and profound transformation of the irrigation systems. One of the driving forces behind this great hydraulic impulse, as mentioned above, was the incorporation of fruits and vegetables that required abundant water. Sugarcane, for example, was traditionally planted in Egypt and benefited from the regular flooding of the Nile. But the mighty African river was light years away from the Guadalquivir. Here the weather was changeable and the rainfall was extremely irregular.

Therefore, a strategy was needed that would allow water to be stored and distributed artificially. New technologies had to be developed to store and channel the liquid element over large areas of land. The agrarian revolution needed a technological revolution. And so it was. Waterwheels, dams, canals, cisterns, wells and subway water catchments, also known as qanats, have been used extensively. Some of these hydraulic engineering methods had already been known since Roman times, but it was the Andalusian civilization that exploited their use and perfected their technological development. Other systems originated in the Middle East.

Agricultural productivity grew exponentially thanks to irrigation. But not only that. Innovative cropping models with different rotation methods were applied. And a new harvest season was consolidated in the summer period. Until then, the land rested in summer and fallowing was frequent every two winters. The Andalusians, on the other hand, were able to multiply their performance significantly. The use of natural fertilizers, mainly straw mixed with manure, significantly improved yields.

As a consequence, the population took a notorious demographic leap and there were changes in the Andalusian economic structure spurred by the increase in agricultural surpluses. Trade underwent significant development, the monetary economy expanded, the tax system was strengthened and industries derived from the primary sector emerged, such as sugar refineries, spinning mills and cotton factories.

One of the most relevant signs of the Andalusian agrarian revolution was the multiplication of irrigation ditches. So much so that many of them have managed to survive a thousand years later. And even in countless in Andalusia and the Levante region are still operating at full capacity. Only in Granada and Almeria, the Biocultural Archaeology Laboratory of the U.GR (University of Granada) has catalogued 24,000 kilometers of irrigation canals. In these two provinces, there are 550 irrigation communities and 830 historical irrigation areas covering no less than 200,000 hectares.

The greatest concentration of Andalusian irrigation ditches is found in Nasrid territory, although they were also abundant in Andalusia Baetica. In the Axarquia region of Malaga, old irrigation ditches have been inventoried in Canillas, Frigiliana, Competa, Sedella and Salares. Its undisputed environmental and agricultural values are still valid today. In such a way that many communities are recovering them thanks to an innovative project led by archaeologist José María Civantos. The objective is to curb the marked process of rural depopulation process of rural depopulation and the reuse of Andalusian irrigation ditches has become a has become an opportune instrument of salvation.

Through the centuries, the acequia network has proven to be a sustainable and resilient system, with the capacity to adapt to social, political, economic and climatic transformations. However, the unstoppable rise of productivism and the global agri-food market have overwhelmed traditional irrigation methods in recent decades. And many of them were being systematically abandoned, especially in the Alpujarra. This is precisely what the Biocultural Archaeology Laboratory project aims to stop and reverse.

By 2022, the research group had managed to restore 14 irrigation ditches, with a total of 80 kilometers, the vast majority of which are of Andalusian origin. The rehabilitation of historic canals has made it possible to regulate pastures, revive disused crops and recharge aquifers. Because irrigation ditches not only provide agricultural yields. They also generate environmental services of the first order: they prevent soil erosion and salinization, and regulate natural hydraulic cycles. The so-called “acequias de careo” or careo irrigation ditches channel the melt water to the lower areas.

All this formidable work of historical recovery is allowing the recovery of chestnut and oak farms, wheat, barley, potatoes, beans, pistachios and many other varieties condemned to death in recent years. And, like an unexpected miracle of Mother Earth, the great agricultural revolution that painted the fields of Al Andalus green a millennium ago is being revived.