Hothouse

Once a deserted land and traditionally an impoverished territory, today the Almeria, Dalías and Níjar fields represent the largest concentration of plastic greenhouses in the world. This photo essay documents how the mass-production of vegetables for northern European markets has dramatically shaped the landscape of the region. Southeast Spain is still one of the main arrival points of migrants from Africa into the European Union and more than 20,000 undocumented workers are systematically employed in this labour-intensive industry. Many have to endure extreme living and working conditions; most have set sail across a murderous sea only to become trapped in the red tape of immigration rules in this imposing maze of white plastic.