by Gennaro Giliberti
Georgofili.info
THEItalian olive growing, which has always been a symbol of agri-food excellence, is today called upon to face complex challenges. A progressive loss of competitiveness with respect to international markets, combined with the effects of climate change, the spread of plant diseases such as Xylella fastidiosa and the obsolescence of a large part of the productive heritage, has made an organic intervention necessary to relaunch the sector.
Added to this are structural problems: land fragmentation, limited generational turnover and obsolescence of the plants, often not mechanisable and poorly productive, echoed by the increasingly strong competition from countries such as Spain, Tunisia, Greece and Morocco, capable of innovating their olive growing system, with intensive and super-intensive plants and advanced technologies.
The Italian olive-growing heritage is very varied, and includes within it many different types of olive growing (to the point that we can truly speak of “olive growing”) for many factors, including: slope of the soil, presence of terraces, planting distances, age of the plants, use of minor native varieties or others of more widespread use, including some foreign ones, availability of irrigation water, certification of origin, etc.
Italy, however, boasts unparalleled strengths: a genetic heritage rich in biodiversity, the ability to produce excellent quality EVO oils and a deep connection with the territory, which gives uniqueness to the production. A Multi-Year National Olive Oil Plan is therefore essential to overcome the critical issues and transform the sector into a driver of economic, sustainable and cultural growth. With this spirit, the Tuscany Region has promoted a strong solicitation, both towards the other regions and the Ministry of Agriculture, with a proposal that has been widely shared and has formed the regional proposal of the Plan.
The structural challenges of Italian olive growing
Italian olive growing is distinguished by the great variety of cultivation typologies, which can be substantially traced back to three main models:
• Marginal olive growing: developed in hilly areas with slopes greater than 25%, characterized by poor mechanization, a high rate of abandonment and production mostly intended for self-consumption or local sales, widespread presence of multiple stems obtained from post-frost ’85 regrowth in central-northern Italy, limited participation in company turnover (generally complementary to viticulture), pressing normally outside the company. This typology is particularly vulnerable to abandonment, with serious environmental and landscape consequences.
• Traditional olive growing: with densities of less than 250 plants per hectare, systems with traditional planting patterns, little or no controlled training systems (post-frost 1985 regrowth, especially in central Italy) and limited use of mechanization. In many areas, this type of crop represents a complementary crop to viticulture or other corporate agricultural activities.
• High density olive growing: developed on flat or low-sloping terrain, with densities greater than 250 plants per hectare and a medium-high degree of mechanization, from pruning to harvesting.
This diversity is both a resource and a criticality. While on the one hand it allows for a varied and typical production, on the other it makes it difficult to implement univocal interventions. The abandonment of marginal olive groves, in particular, is a worrying phenomenon. Not only does it reduce the productive potential of the sector, but it also entails serious environmental consequences: loss of biodiversity, hydrogeological instability and fire risk.
In the face of these critical issues, the main strengths of our olive-oil sector, on which we need to focus for the relaunch, are theproducers’ experience in providing a high quality oil, a product strongly linked to typicality/territoriality/identity, availability of valuable native varieties (biodiversity), as well as the health and nutraceutical value of our high quality extra virgin olive oils. In this perspective, also the environmental and landscape role of olive groves it is an element of valorization of the territory and therefore of the product.
In tackling the path to be taken for the essential renewal of the sector, we must therefore ask ourselves double goal, on the one hand of increase the competitiveness of companies, without however giving up, on the other hand, the quality, typicality and the sustainability that qualify our products. A strategy based exclusively on cost reduction and product placement in the lowest price range would see us losers from the start, if only because of the morphological characteristics of the national territory, which are extremely heterogeneous compared to our main competitors on world markets (ex multis, the widespread olive growing in the Spanish region of Andalusia).
It is therefore necessary to develop and promote a “mixed olive growing system”, capable on the one hand of guaranteeing, in areas suited to intensive, high-density olive growing, high production at lower costs; on the other hand enhance the enormous genetic heritage we have available and the great environmental variability, directing them towards excellent production. Ultimately, it is simply a matter of applying the correct cultivation model to different situations.
The olive-oil sector, adequately restructured, could represent an important driver of economic and productive growth, within the primary sector, also considering that the current production of olive oil and/or the production of table olives is not even able to satisfy half of the internal demand existing on the market. Finally, in the last year, alongside the contraction of national olive production and a general increase in consumer prices, in many cases tripled, we have witnessed a contraction in consumption, and in exports, which nevertheless continue to present ample margins for development, thanks also to the “substitution” effect of animal fats.
To demonstrate the interest of operators in the development of the supply chain, it is worth remembering the success of the recent PNRR intervention, which through the measure “Renewal of oil mills” has seen the planning of approximately 900 oil mills, with a total expenditure of almost €300 million and a requested contribution of over €180 million (compared to the €100 million available). This measure, once completed, will become a clear strength of the national supply chain.
Obviously the considerations that are developed here concern the entire supply chain, not only declined on the olive oil production, but also aimed at the production of the table product; this also in order to allow companies, especially in areas with a marked vocation, to diversify their offer, thus also compensating for any missed margins of oil production.
To relaunch the olive-oil sector, a National strategic plan, with a perspective of at least ten years, aimed at developing all the links in the supply chain, from the most upstream to the most downstream, with an approach “Before Farm, Beyond Fork”.
The existence of different typologies of olive growing (and olive growers) makes it necessary to identify diversified intervention strategies, depending on the typologies of olive groves and subjects to whom they are addressed, without however neglecting any of the existing typologies, as each one assumes importance, both for the productive and economic aspects, and for the environmental, landscape and hydrogeological ones.
What strategic interventions for the relaunch
The relaunch of the sector requires an integrated approach, involving research, innovation, training and promotion. A National Olive Plan must address structural criticalities and enhance excellence. The proposal articulates:
1. Olive nursery and genetic innovation
The nursery represents the starting point for the renewal of Italian olive groves. The main interventions include:
• Production of certified plants: guarantee genetic and health quality through advanced certification and traceability systems, such as the use of microchips and genetic characterization.
• Selection of new varieties: develop varieties resilient to climate change and plant diseases using Assisted Evolution Techniques (AET). Italian native biodiversity must be the starting point.
• Innovative nursery techniques: promote in vitro micropropagation to increase the availability of high-quality plants at reduced costs.
2. New plants and rational replanting
To increase the productivity and competitiveness of the sector, the Plan must encourage:
• The creation of new plants in suitable areas, preferring certified native varieties.
• The introduction of regular planting distances and training systems that facilitate mechanization, reducing production costs.
• The reconversion of obsolete plants, with the aim of ensuring more efficient and sustainable management.
3. Irrigation infrastructure and water management
Irrigation is a key element for the resilience of the sector. Investments should focus on:
• Consortium basins to accumulate and distribute water.
• Fertigation to optimize the use of water resources.
• Bureaucratic simplification to facilitate the creation and maintenance of irrigation reservoirs.
4. Recovery of abandoned olive groves
The recovery of marginal olive groves is essential to preserve the landscape and biodiversity. The proposals include:
• Economic incentives for the maintenance and management of marginal olive groves.
• Recovery projects involving municipalities, associations and research institutions.
• Tax deductions for interventions to restore infrastructures such as terraces and dry stone walls, such as the devolution by municipalities of a portion of the tourist tax, to intervene or incentivize the recovery of masonry and trees for the purposes of preventing hydrogeological and fire risks.
5. Technological innovation and transformation
The modernization of processing and storage facilities is crucial to ensure food quality and safety. It is proposed:
• The diffusion of technologies for the eco-sustainable treatment of oil by-products (pomace, vegetation water).
• Advanced certifications based on rapid oil quality analysis technologies.
6. Aggregation and cooperation
Strengthening the role of Producer Organisations (POs) is essential for:
• Plan and organize production and supply.
• Implement integrated supply chain projects, with investments in modern facilities.
7. Quality certifications (PDO and PGI) and sustainability (organic, integrated, etc.)
Crucial for the characterization of an identity territorial product are:
• strengthen incentives for already established certification systems (DOP and IGP, but also organic, mountain product, integrated SQNPI, Equalitas, etc.)
• Integrate instrumental quality monitoring systems that are rapid, objective, safe and replicable, for the analytical identification of the main sensory and nutraceutical attributes, aimed at enhancing high-quality production;
• develop other certifications for the social sustainability and health aspects of the products (for example the high content of biophenols, important natural antioxidant substances normally present in high-quality EVO oils)
• develop the production and marketing of monovarietal oils, to help people appreciate the richness of the biodiversity present in our olive groves
• intensify checks on the conformity of products placed on the market and on products delivered to large-scale retail trade and on their labelling, by introducing extraordinary checks on trade and e-commerce operators alongside the normal control programmes on operators in the sector
8. Promotion and internationalization of businesses
The Plan aims to:
• Educate consumers on the cultural and nutritional value of extra virgin olive oil.
• Promote oil tourism, integrating cultural and gastronomic itineraries.
• Collaborate with ICE and MAECI to expand presence on foreign markets through fairs, promotional campaigns and online platforms.
9. Innovation and research
The Plan, taking into account both technical and economic aspects, promotes research, innovation and transfer actions, aimed at identifying:
• the most suitable areas, the native varieties that are best suited to crop intensification (due to early entry into production, reduced vegetation, etc.), to climate changes (high temperatures, drought) and that are less susceptible to the main olive tree adversities (fly, Xylella, etc.);
• the most suitable training systems and planting distances in relation to the need to mechanise pruning and harvesting;
• irrigation techniques that allow the most rational use of the limited water resources available;
• soil management, fertilization and pest control techniques that are most suitable for containing the use of synthetic chemical products, also through the adoption of precision agriculture techniques
• new molecules characterized by good efficacy in controlling flies, low environmental impact and low toxicity towards humans and animals
• any dwarfing rootstocks
• in-depth study of the qualitative characteristics of extra virgin olive oils, of the hedonic and nutraceutical characteristics for the identification of high quality extra virgin olive oils;
• carbon footprint and olive growing: create clear and standardized guidelines for the assessment of the carbon footprint in different olive growing systems.
• new technologies for the valorisation of by-products obtained in the mills
• instrumental methods for the analytical identification of the main sensory attributes, with the aim of supporting and streamlining the organoleptic evaluation method, by supporting it with rapid, more reliable and repeatable detection systems, to be used, for example, in mass screening of products on the market and to enhance the highest quality productions
• intensive high-density planting models with native cultivars (300-800 plants/ha) and intensive (>800 plants/ha) suitable for continuous mechanical pruning and harvesting
• technical means and strategies aimed at a more sustainable management of traditional olive groves
• organizational innovations that allow small producers to be brought together, giving them the strength to compete in different market contexts and with greater economic satisfaction
• reuse of by-products of olive origin (from cosmetics, to nutraceuticals, to pharmacopoeia, etc.)
10. Training and consultancy
The plan aims to:
• strengthen measures aimed at training operators in the sector (technicians, pruners, producers, millers, consumers, restaurateurs, chefs, etc.), as well as those aimed at consultancy and the transfer of innovation
• implement the training of technicians able to guarantee the correct approach and application to innovative activities in the advanced olive growing sector, precision farming, therefore in the specific fields of nursery, cultivation, extraction and marketing
• evaluate the possibility of introducing a new specialization in olive growing and oil production into the system of Agricultural Technical Institutes, as has happened in the past for the viticulture and oenological sector
• promote the diffusion of a series of 4.0 technologies and precision agriculture, aimed at monitoring, improving efficiency and optimising production
• enhance professional oil tasting committees, through which it is possible to organize qualified training courses and practice tasting sessions
• develop marketing campaigns aimed at promoting and enhancing high-quality extra virgin olive oil, produced according to sustainable criteria, highlighting not only the nutraceutical characteristics, but also the environmental and social responsibility
• maintain a technical assistance network in the area capable of guaranteeing the transfer of innovation and consultancy to agricultural companies on the issues of greatest interest (phytopathology, agronomy, oil quality, labelling, etc.).
Conclusions
A National Olive Oil Plan, supported by adequate funding and effective coordination, can transform current challenges into opportunities. To this end, it seems necessary to establish and convene a national olive oil table, in which to share with the entire supply chain the objectives for the relaunch of the sector.
In summary, the Plan intends to make adequate financing opportunities available to operators, in particular:
• an investment support measure, with adequate priorities and resources, to finance olive tree nurseries, the restructuring and reconversion of olive groves, their irrigation, the modernization of processing and marketing plants and aggregation;
• an environmental measure, with adequate priorities and resources, to support the care of olive groves with a predominantly environmental and landscape value and for the recovery of abandoned olive groves;
• a measure to support initiatives for promotion, internationalisation, communication and information, with adequate priorities and resources to finance the valorization of quality certifications, sustainability and health aspects;
• a measure to support research and innovation projects;
• a measure to support training and consultancy activities.
Dining and Cooking