The ‘Centro de Innovación Territorial (CIT)’ of the province of Jaén has held a participatory workshop at the Monastery of Santa Clara in Beas de Segura as part of the Competiolivar project, bringing together more than fifty farmers and cooperative members from the Sierra de Segura with the aim of addressing the main challenges and opportunities for improving the competitiveness of the olive-growing sector.
Funded by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, with an investment of nearly 500,000 euros, Competiolivar sets out a series of measures aimed at boosting the profitability, sustainability and digital transformation of olive groves, promoting innovative solutions and facilitating the transfer of knowledge to the sector.
The opening ceremony of the event was attended by Isabel Uceda, the Regional Minister for Agriculture, Livestock, the Environment and Climate Change; José Alberto Rodríguez, the Mayor of Beas de Segura; and Sebastián Quirós, the Director of the Agriculture Department. In her speech, Ms Uceda explained that Competiolivar is “one of the initiatives arising from the Centre for Territorial Innovation, with which we have been working for some time to make traditional olive groves more sustainable and profitable. We are focusing on aspects such as sustainability, the efficient use of water resources, soil regeneration, increasing biodiversity and digitalisation, and all of this through the active involvement of cooperatives and farmers, with the support of the Jaén Provincial Council”.
For his part, the mayor of Beas de Segura highlighted the significance of this event, “which relates to both environmental sustainability and organic farming, and in which numerous cooperatives from our region are taking part”. José Alberto Rodríguez emphasised that this is an “innovative project funded by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, which will provide opportunities and new possibilities for a region as important as the Sierra de Segura”.
Four strategic priorities for transforming olive cultivation
During the meeting, the four strategic priorities underpinning the project were presented, addressing various areas relating to environmental sustainability, the use of resources, efficient water management and the digitalisation of the cooperative sector.
Firstly, Paula Martín Serrano, from Olivares Vivos, took the floor to present the first approach, which focuses on biodiversity and sustainable solutions and addresses the incorporation of practices that improve biodiversity and move towards more sustainable production systems.
The second approach is dedicated to the valorisation of olive by-products through solutions such as biochar and compost. In this regard, David Vera from the University of Jaén and José Liétor from the University Institute of Research on Olive Grove and Olive Oils (INUO) at the University of Jaén outlined the possibilities for transforming and utilising the by-products generated by olive cultivation, thereby promoting circular economy models.
Consequently, the third strategic line was presented by Antonio J. Manzaneda, a researcher at the University Institute of Research on Olive Grove and Olive Oils (INUO) at the University of Jaén. This line focuses on water efficiency and the use of rainwater, proposing alternatives to optimise the use of water resources and improve the olive groves’ ability to adapt to current water availability scenarios.
Finally, the fourth strategic line focuses on the digitalisation and modernisation of cooperatives, with contributions from Juan José Merelo and Marta Hidalgo of INNOVASUR. In this section, the incorporation of digital tools is presented as a means of improving management, decision-making and the competitiveness of cooperative structures.
Innovation and knowledge transfer
In addition, the event featured a presentation by Dr Obdulia Parra, from ‘Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de Andalucía’, who introduced the Choice project, offering a fresh perspective on the agri-food sector.
The event provided a forum for the exchange of knowledge and direct engagement with farmers and cooperative members, bringing the various solutions and areas of innovation linked to the future of olive growing closer to the local community.
The University Institute of Research on Olive Grove and Olive Oils (INUO) at the University of Jaén particularly values this type of initiative, which fosters links between research, innovation and the productive sector, enabling scientific knowledge to contribute effectively to tackling the current challenges facing the olive sector.
Source: Centro de Innovación Territorial (CIT) (09/09/2026)
