Abstract EN:

Since they became a part of the European Community (E. C. ) in 1986, the Canary Islands have enjoyed several statutes in which agriculture has been given a special place. The archipelago has benefited ever since from E. C. Funding and policy, part of which is the specific policy for Outermost European Regions, whose impact on the agricultural sector is perceptible in 2000: modernisation of farming methodology, above all concerning products for export (bananas, tomatoes, flowers and decorative plants) ; improvement of the organisation within the various sectors ; reorientation towards the local market ; increased appreciation of local products and a quality oriented strategy are the main effects of the islands' inclusion in the E. C. European Policy has accentuated the differences between small- and large-scale agricultors and has hardly enhanced better organisation of the local market. At present, the European Union remains both far away and very present within this subtropical territory