There have been several types of crops in the l'Horta during history: cereals, olives, vineyards, blackberries, tubers and mostly vegetables (hortalissa in Valencian, gives the name to the county).
It was therefore a dynamic landscape depending on the necessities of the city of Valencia, the cultural tradition and more recently the markets.
Nowadays, according to the data of the Valencian Department of Agriculture, there are approximately 25,000 cultivated hectares in the county of l'Horta:
- 13,400 hectares are citrus (7,200 hectares of mandarin orange and 6,200 hectares of oranges)
- 5,300 hectares of vegetables. The most common ones are:Vegetables such as onions, artichokes, cauliflowers, pumpkins, melons, watermelons and lettuce.
- Tubers such as tiger nuts (500 hectares) and potatoes (800 hectares)
- 3,200 hectares of rice (around the Albufera)
- 1,700 hectares of other fruit trees
- 500 hectares of non-irrigated crops (carob trees, olives and vineyards) next to the western mountains
- 425 hectares of garden centres and ornamental plants
The maximum density is in the towns of northern Valencia (Poble Nou, Carpesa, Borbotó), Alboraia, Meliana y Almàssera. Castellar, Oliveral, Forn d'Alcedo (former Benimassot) Carrera d'en Corts, la Punta and Pinedo stand out among the towns of southers Valencia.
Farmers in Horta only represent 1.7% of workers in the region. That 1.7% of workers is responsible for managing 40% of the land in Horta. The role of farmers is crucial not only for neighborhood agriculture, but also for landscape protection for environment maintenance.
