39 The current state and future of olive growing in Spain LORENZO LEÓN, IGNACIO J. LORITE, JAVIER HIDALGO AND SAMIR SAYADI Andalusian Institute for Research and Training in Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and Organic Production (IFAPA) Olive cultivation in Spain has a history dating back more than 2,500 years, making it one of the country’s most emblematic crops. Introduced by the Phoenicians and subsequently spread by the Romans, the olive tree quickly became a fundamental element of Mediterranean agriculture, both for local consumption and for trade throughout Europe. which are far more amenable to mechanisation and productive, and the introduction of irrigation using deficit irrigation strategies, which represented a highly significant strategic shift, improving the crop’s profitability in many areas of traditional olive cultivation. To a greater or lesser extent, olive groves have always been, throughout every stage of Spain’s history, an indicator of the economic situation, the level of modernisation or periods of crisis. In the mid-20th century, the arrival of other vegetable oils on the market, To a greater or lesser extent, olive groves have always been, throughout every stage of Spain’s history, an indicator of the economic situation, the level of modernisation or periods of crisis. Despite periods of fluctuating profitability, olive cultivation in Spain continues on an upward trajectory, positioning our country as the undisputed world leader in olive oil production. rising labour costs and support for the cultivation of oilseeds have gradually reduced the profitability of olive groves, leading, for the first time in many years, to a decrease in the area under cultivation. This period of crisis led to a period of restructuring which gradually enabled the modernisation of cultivation systems and the recovery and expansion of the cultivated area. Among these advances, we should note single-trunk planting systems and higher planting densities (intensive olive groves), The olive groves of the future therefore have a solid foundation, based on results obtained through research and technology transfer; this work must continue in the coming years to ensure the sector’s sustainability. Farming systems As mentioned, the intensification of olive cultivation from the 1970s onwards, with the development of single-trunk plantations and the introduction of irrigation, alongside the modernisation of olive oil processing,
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