Datenbank der Projekte zur ländlichen Entwicklung

An Andalucían cooperative aims to set up an advisory service for the organic production of olive oil . From personalised advice to events, training and interaction with researchers, the service aims to establish organic olive oil in the region.

Olive oil production is a key agricultural activity in the whole region of Andalucía. Adverse geographic conditions in the area “Los Pedroches” such as steep slopes (between 40-70%), shallow soil and scarce soil fertility due to ph acidity are the main reasons for low productivity of olive crops and high production costs. These conditions, in combination with the search for diversification, led producers of the cooperative “Olivarera Los Pedroches” to explore the benefits of organic farming.

The main objective of the project is to establish within the cooperative an advisory service specific to organic production. This service will be offered to the members of the cooperative as well as any other conventional producers interested in organic production. A specific objective is to develop cooperation with research groups and centres in order to improve and disseminate knowledge on the techniques for organic olive growing.

Setting up of customer service (purchase of equipment); Offering customer service: personalised advice to coop members on organic production management, plagues, fertilisation, etc; Organisation of training courses and events based on the needs and requirements of producers; Participation in research projects and dissemination of results to the producer-members of the coop; Development of a system for monitoring the advisory services offered to producers, their implementation and results.

Currently, 50% of the cooperative members apply organic production methods, while approximately 14,000 hectares are dedicated to organic production. The project is expected to support organic farmers, inspire producers new to these techniques and improve the quality of regional production methods. In addition, the emphasis on organic production research is expected to result in innovation and improved efficiency in productive processes.

Promoting organic production contributes to the revival and maintenance of traditional techniques which in combination with modern technologies produces innovation while preserving the environment. A key success factor is dissemination of the results of research in the field of organic farming. Finally, a key lesson is that organic production is the most economic option for the maintenance of olive crops in high slope areas.

Pedroches area, Province of Córdoba

Andalucía

Andalucía

238 516

41 521

17 794

179 200

Juan Antonio Caballero Jiménez

jacaballeroj@olipe.com

+ 34 957 772 202

Spanish