As part of initiatives to be developed within the “First Andalusian Strategy for the Olive Sector 2023-2027”, a collaboration agreement has been signed between the Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development and SEO/Birdlife, with the aim of tackling the project ‘LIFE Olivares Vivos+: Increasing the impact of Olivares Vivos in the EU’. In this way, the aim is to increase the profitability of olive groves through the recovery of biodiversity in the environment.
This project, co-financed by the European Commission, involves the University of Jaén, the Higher Council for Scientific Research, the University of Évora (Portugal), ‘D.R.E.AM Italia’, Ellinikos Georgikos, the Provincial Council of Jaén and ‘Juan Vilar Consultores Estratégicos’. This project is the continuation of ‘LIFE Olivares Vivos project’, which initially analysed the biodiversity data of olive groves and designed and validated an olive growing model that would allow biodiversity to be recovered and make this crop more profitable, providing information for the development of different European strategies and contributing to the updating of the Common Agricultural Policy.
In this continuation, different models of olive growing that are profitable and promote species biodiversity will be implemented in the selected Andalusian olive groves. The aim is to produce olive oils that will subsequently be identified and certified under a brand name that adds value to the product. Furthermore, thanks to this initiative, the environment and biodiversity will be integrated into agricultural policies, especially in the olive sector.
For its part, Government Council of Andalusia, through an exceptional grant, is providing 200,000 euros to finance communication, dissemination and project management actions and the development of tools to facilitate the selection of olive groves located in Andalusian areas that are particularly sensitive to climate change. Subsequently, they will report on the results obtained in the project through training activities and scientific publications.
