Other industries manufacture aluminum, cement, clothing, electrical equipment, fertilizer, and food products. About one-third of Iceland's industrial workers are women. The Icelandic government has developed industries with aid from other countries. About 5 percent of the people are farmers. Iceland has about 4,200 farms scattered over the lowlands.
Most farmers raise sheep for wool, meat, and skins, and cattle for dairy products.
They also raise many small Icelandic horses. The country's main crop is hay, which the farmers use to feed their livestock. Farmers can raise two or three crops of hay each year because of the heavy rainfall and the long hours of summer sunshine. Farmers also grow root crops, such as turnips and potatoes. Since the 1930's, farmers have developed an industry that uses greenhouses to capture heat from hot springs.