- SEO/BirdLife, through Olivares Vivos, is adapting the agricultural model to the new climate reality spreading across the Mediterranean, through the study of demonstrative olive groves in Almería and Granada.
- The NGO is committed to the recovery of ecosystem services to make olive groves more resilient, increasing the water available in the soil and reducing the temperature it reaches.
The practices implemented in the agricultural sector by the Olivares Vivos model of SEO/BirdLife have proven to be a highly effective solution to tackle the challenge that olive groves face during the Mediterranean summer months, characterized by high temperatures and scarce rainfall.
Although the olive tree and other species that inhabit the olive grove are adapted to these conditions, it is a reality that summers are becoming increasingly warmer and drier due to climate change, which increases the physiological stress on olive groves.
Moreover, the fact that this period is prolonged and becomes more intense makes it necessary to combat the consequences it brings, both on the health of the land and on agricultural production. SEO/BirdLife has always defended and demonstrated that a productive model that respects and enhances wildlife and generates wealth in the rural world is possible. This equation, agriculture plus biodiversity equals profitability, finds its exponent in the LIFE Olivares Vivos project, an excellent example of how good agro-environmental practices can recover biodiversity in olive groves and positively impact profitability.
The Olivares Vivos agricultural model, implemented and studied in around twenty farms in Andalusia through the LIFE Olivares Vivos project (2015-2021), is being extended through LIFE Olivares Vivos+ (2021-2026) – both projects coordinated by SEO/BirdLife -, to other territories in Spain, Greece, Italy, and Portugal.
Study in semi-arid conditions
At the same time, a study is being conducted on three farms in the semi-arid southeastern Andalusia to understand how the climatic conditions in this region, characterized by high temperatures and scarce rainfall that also falls torrentially, affect the olive groves. Extreme conditions that are spreading throughout the Mediterranean due to global warming caused by human activity.
The Olivares Vivos model revolves around an agro-environmental scheme based on three fundamental pillars: adequate management of the herbaceous cover from an environmental and agricultural point of view, the restoration of unproductive areas, and the installation of elements that favor wildlife. Three pillars on which innovation continues, adapting to this new reality that many olive groves will have to face in the coming years or decades. For example, bird nest boxes placed in some of the demonstrative olive groves have incorporated structures that reduce their insolation and internal temperature, increasing the reproductive success of the species that settle in them. Rescuing biodiversity means recovering the ecosystem services that flora and fauna provide, benefiting both the natural environment and the farmers themselves, as it increases their profitability.
A model that provides more water to olive trees
“A key benefit offered by this model is the increase in water availability for the olive trees. By maintaining a vegetative cover, as long as it is managed with proper mowing, before the grass competes with the olive trees, all the advantages that the herbaceous cover brings to the olive grove are harnessed. This includes reducing direct sun exposure on the soil, which is especially relevant during the summer months, as the presence of these plant remains lowers the soil temperature and evaporation,” explains Paula Martín, Olivares Vivos technician and responsible for farmer training, through courses that will begin in their first call after the summer.
Furthermore, “it provides protection against other weather phenomena that can also reduce humidity, such as wind, and favors the retention of dew that can form during the early morning hours. In turn, the vegetative cover improves the amount of water the soil can retain by increasing organic matter and modifying its structure, making it act like a sponge. It also increases its infiltration capacity, which is beneficial not only in autumn or spring but also during episodes of heavy rain, as often occurs during summer storms. As a result, erosion is reduced, one of the biggest environmental problems faced by most olive groves in the Mediterranean region.”
More biodiverse, resilient, and profitable olive groves
SEO/BirdLife supports the Olivares Vivos agricultural model, as it creates a more diverse ecosystem, making olive groves more resilient to disturbances, such as those from these very dry and hot Mediterranean summer periods. The management of the cover, the revegetation of unproductive areas, and the installation of elements to support wildlife, such as waterers, ponds, or artificial nests, provide food and improve the habitat for local flora and fauna, creating a natural balance between the different species present in the olive grove. This also helps control pests and improves the overall health of this agroecosystem.
Recovering biodiversity and taking advantage of the services it provides allows farmers to reduce the need for external inputs, which contributes to improving agricultural profitability: the main objective with which Olivares Vivos was born and with which the NGO wants to demonstrate that another form of agriculture is possible. This is achieved not only through the recovery and improvement of ecosystem services but also through two other ways. On the one hand, through payment for environmental services, mainly from agricultural policies, such as the new eco-schemes incorporated into the CAP, which require requirements that are easily met by farms that adopt the Olivares Vivos model. But, above all, the most interesting profitability pathway is the one that opens up thanks to the market differentiation offered by the Olivares Vivos certification.
Olivares Vivos Certification
The process to obtain the Olivares Vivos certification is already open, with which to improve agricultural profitability by differentiating your EVOO.
“This certification is based on the effective and real recovery of biodiversity and is backed by scientific entities such as SEO/BirdLife, the University of Jaén, and the CSIC. It is the result of years of research on biodiversity in olive groves and the conclusions obtained after the implementation of the Olivares Vivos model. A research that has been considered the largest and most exhaustive study on flora and fauna in olive cultivation worldwide. Many farmers have already shown interest in this certification and are waiting to start the process from next spring,” concludes José Eugenio Gutiérrez, director of Olivares Vivos and SEO/BirdLife delegate in Andalusia.
LIFE Olivares Vivos+
Since 2015, and with the funding of two LIFE projects, Olivares Vivos has developed and implemented this innovative olive growing model, born from the consensus between farmers, scientists, and conservationists. Now, through LIFE Olivares Vivos+ (2021-2026), work is underway to accelerate its dissemination in the main olive-growing regions of Europe, extend it to other products (such as table olives) and transfer it to other crops like vineyards.
This second project, coordinated by SEO/BirdLife, involves the participation of the Provincial Council of Jaén, the University of Jaén, the Experimental Station of Arid Zones of the Spanish National Research Council (EEZA-CSIC), the University of Évora, the agricultural and forestry cooperative DREAm-Italy, the Hellenic Agricultural Organization, and Juan Vilar Strategic Consultants. It is funded by the LIFE program of the European Commission and co-financed by the Provincial Council of Jaén and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Sustainable Development of the Regional Government of Andalusia, as well as with the financial support of the Spanish Olive Oil Interprofessional, the Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha, and the Caja Rural de Jaén.
