TonHey, call it the Sea of Olives. In the southern province of Jaen, 70 million olive trees extend to the horizon in all directions Spain. This is a spectacular landscape, however, except for the olives, the land is almost dead, and there is hardly a flower, a bird or a butterfly in sight.
With the great success of a project to awaken new life from the dust of Andalusia, all of this may be about to change.
In 2016, with the financial support of the EU’s Life Program, 20 olive farms in the region were selected to adopt a regenerative agriculture model to allow grasses and wildflowers to thrive among the trees. Various local species were planted, nest boxes were installed, and ponds were built to encourage the lives of insects and birds.
In the world’s largest study on the biodiversity of olive groves, researchers from the University of Jaen and the Council of Advanced Scientific Research (CSIC) and Living olive grove The project found that compared with 20 control forests, within three years, the number of bees in the regenerated olive forest increased by 47%, the number of birds increased by 10%, and the woody shrubs increased by 172%. As rabbits thrive on the grass, birds of prey reappear.
It has also been found that the herbicide is killing the insects that eat olive fruit fly larvae (Oil fruit fly), one of the main pests of crops.
“What we are doing is going back to more traditional methods,” said Paco Montabes, who has grown 650 hectares (1,600 acres) of olives in Sierra Mágina in Jaén. “Not plowing between trees can better retain water and reduce erosion and runoff after heavy rains. Plant mulch makes the ground sponge-like and absorbs rainwater.”
José Eugenio Gutiérrez, project coordinator and conservation organization SEO Birdlife, stated that the initiative was based on environmental and economic considerations. Growers are worried about soil erosion and lack of biodiversity, but because the global oversupply of olive oil pushes prices below production costs, growers have also suffered economic losses. Usually, the only people who make money are bottling plants and retailers.
The Olivares Vivos method is a win-win strategy: Biodiversity is booming, and olive oil is proven to be produced under conditions that increase biodiversity, rather than being simply proven to be “ecological”, giving it added value.
“You can grow under plastic and it is still classified as ecological,” Gutierrez said. “We need to create labels to ensure that products are produced through regenerative agriculture.”
Since growers can save on herbicides and pesticides, and can sell their oil at high prices, the plan has not been ignored in the region. Gutiérrez said that more than 600 growers have expressed interest in adopting the regeneration model.
This idea has already taken off in the wine industry. Some smaller vineyards have adopted regeneration practices, but now major winemakers are also signing contracts. In the Penedes wine region, 450 miles (750 km) north of Jaén, TorresSpain’s largest brewer is adopting regeneration methods when looking for ways to reduce its carbon footprint.
“Although most of our vineyards are certified for organic viticulture, we always feel that we have not done enough,” said Miguel Torres, the fifth-generation owner of the winery.
Traditionally, plowing between the vines to remove weeds and open up the land for rain. However, this will not only lead to erosion, but also a lack of biodiversity and poor soil, requiring artificial nutrient supplementation.
“The organic viticulture rules don’t even mention the carbon footprint, so you can use the tractor as you want. We think,’We must reduce emissions, but we must also capture carbon dioxide,'” Torres said.
Producer has Reduce carbon footprint 34% a bottle, the target is 60%, mainly through energy efficiency measures introduced in the winemaking process.
“Our goal is to stop farming,” he said. “When you plow the ground, you will bring organic matter to the surface, and then it will oxidize, so everything you store will enter the atmosphere. What we are trying to do is to imitate nature as much as possible, which means we have to let the soil recover vitality.”
Torres said that although tree planting is at the forefront of addressing the climate crisis, if the 7.4 million hectares of vineyards in the world adopt the regeneration model, the impact will be huge.
At the nearby Parés Baltà winery, winemaker Marta Casas goes further.She believes that regrowth viticulture is an important step towards a more comprehensive Biodynamic Method, treat animals, soil and agricultural products as part of a single, interconnected system.
“The more you give the soil, the more it will return,” she said, standing next to an open-air oven in the 6th century BC, which inspired her to make wine in clay pots.
Casas’ passion for work matched her curiosity, which prompted her to pursue many ancient ideas. For example, she found that the use of a solution of the plant horsetail can significantly reduce the amount of copper sulfate sprayed on the vines to treat mold.
If regenerative agriculture looks more like common sense than a revolutionary idea, then for grape growers and olive growers, this marks a rejection of two farming methods: plowing and stifling competition.
Montabes said that they must break down any plant other than the desired crop as a competitor, weed or Bad weed In Spanish.
“Now we know more,” he said. “Las malas hierbas son buenas.”
Find more The age of extinction is hereAnd follow Biodiversity Reporters Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield Get all the latest news and features on Twitter
