El patrimonio agrícola tradicional como herramienta de desarrollo territorial. El caso de la Costa Tropical de Granada (Andalucía)

In the context of increasing tertiarization that the Andalusian economy has been registering in recent decades, many traditional agricultural areas have diversified their economic and functional base with counterproductive effects. As a corollary, many enclaves of the Mediterranean coastal strip, where tourism has been the main driver of change, have seen the rich legacy of heritage elements that traditional agriculture has left behind. This marked process of material deterioration also reveals a loss of protagonism in the landscape, which puts in check its values and cultural and identity significance. The present text addresses the current state of conservation of the most significant elements of traditional agricultural heritage in the Tropical Coast of Granada (Andalusia) and its role in the new landscape configurations. Likewise, within the framework of the economic and social transformations registered in the last decades, it critically values its contribution and integration in the prevailing development model. Finally, and based on a general approximation to the potential of this type of heritage for the territorial development integrated in the region, proposals are made to seek their recovery, use and conservation in a sustainable way.