10 CULTIVAR - ANALYSIS AND PROSPECTIVE STUDIES | No. 35 Olive groves and olive oil agriculture, covering 76,589 hectares (60 per cent of the irrigated area by 2025. Thanks to irrigation and technology, national production of Photograph by Artur Pastor – Olive harvest, Alentejo, 1950s/60s, Lisbon Municipal Archives / Photographic Collection olive oil has quadrupled since the 1990s, growing by 320 per cent. This development has made the sector highly competitive and professional, placing Portugal amongst the world’s leading producers and exporters of olive oil. The article by António M. Cordeiro et al., from the National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research (I.P. (INIAV), highlights that olive growing faces challenges such as climate change, water scarcity and the need for mechanisation; and that, to tackle these, it is essential to emphasise the importance of national varieties and genetic improvement in order to create more productive, resilient and sustainable olive groves. The combination of genetic conservation, the selection of adapted materials, and digital technologies, sensors and artificial intelligence will enable the optimisation of irrigation, fertilisation and productivity in the future. Vasco Fitas da Cruz and Diogo Coelho, from the University of Évora, state that the olive sector in Portugal, particularly in the Alentejo, has become more productive and competitive, but has also generated more by-products such as olive pomace, leaves and wastewater. The INOVCIRCOLIVE project, a research, development and implementation partnership between multiple public institutions and private organisations, has developed solutions such as composting, soil application and the extraction of bioactive compounds, thereby promoting a circular economy, cost reduction and greater sustainability within the olive oil sector. The article by Nuno Rodrigues et al., from CIMO – Mountain Research Centre, notes that olive growing in Portugal has great economic, social and environmental value, highlighting traditional olive groves and native cultivars. However, these face certain threats due to agricultural intensification. In Trás-os-Montes, sustainable development, combined with innovation and scientific research, is essential for preserving the biodiversity, quality and identity of olive products. The research carried out by the authors highlights the high nutritional value of Portuguese olives. João Marques, from the GPP, points out that, under the CAP, the olive sector benefits from a wide range of support measures, particularly for investment, irrigation and management, which contribute significantly to the substantial growth of modern olive cultivation; however, public policies have also strengthened support for the traditional system through specific agri-environmental measures. Indeed, traditional olive groves remain essential to the landscape, culture and rural sustainability in Portugal, and this support helps to preserve biodiversity, combat rural depopulation and promote high-quality, authentic olive oils; it is vital for preserving a low-density system which, although less productive, must not be abandoned. The article by Susana Gaspar, of the GPP, traces the evolution of olive oil from antiquity to the present day, highlighting its central role in the Mediterranean diet and in Portuguese food culture. In addition to its historical and symbolic value, it highlights the nutritional benefits of this foodstuff, particularly extra virgin olive oil, which is rich in healthy fats and antioxidants, noting its central role in the (new) Food Wheel and the Mediterranean Diet Wheel. It also advocates the promotion of this dietary pattern as a model of health, sustainability and cultural identity.
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