ABSTRACT
In the case of Spanish agriculture and rural society, the present context of change can be characterized as a series of interrelated factors whose effects are felt at every level, in economic and social life, politics and culture. The traditional corporatist scenario, based on the principle of common interest among farmers, is being replaced by one of plurality. In economic terms, Spanish agriculture has lost its importance, as witnessed by the gradual decrease in the working population in agriculture and the declining significance of agricultural and livestock production in its Gross National Product (GNP). There has been an important cultural change in educated public opinion, based on the concept of sustainability minted at the end of the seventies in the now famous Bruntland Report. Perhaps the most important sociological factor in all the changes that are taking place in the Spanish rural society is the increasing complexity of its social structure.
