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From 19 to 24 February 2023 the ARTOLIO Profitable and Sustainable artisanal olive oil industry in the Mediterranean project held one of its most important meetings in Israel to analyse the results obtained until now by its stakeholders and make recommendations for this last year of the project.
This meeting, coordinated by Giora Ben-Ari, Head of the Fruit Tree Sciences Unit, Plant sciences Institute of the Volcani Institute, Agriculture Research Organisation (Israel), counted with the participation of the Head of the olive growing, olive technology and environment Unit of the International Olive Council (IOC), Lhassane Sikaoui, and Catarina Bairrao Balula, Head of the technical cooperation and training department of the IOC.
This project aims to support the small olive oil producers in the Mediterranean area to overcome the difficulties derived from the small dimension of their properties, of managing rain-fed olive orchards, based on family manpower, providing the olive farmers with the necessary instruments for the professionalisation of their activity, in order to achieve a profitable and sustainable olive oil production.
The project created in each participant country a Native Olive Regional Knowledge Center (NOReKC) that provides up-to-date training on the production of a competitive extra virgin olive oil, assisting the farmers in marketing, sales, finance, policy and legislation, at national level and in entering new global markets.
The meeting counted with representatives from Cyprus – Department of Agriculture – Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Greece – Hellenic Agricultural Organization DEMETER/ Institute of Olive Tree, Greece – Perrotis College, the American farm school, Israel– Volcani Center, Agricultural Research Institute, Palestine- Palestinian Centre for Agriculture Research and Development-, Spain – Center for Advanced Studies in Olive Grove and Olive Oils of the University of Jaén, Kellenföl Ad, marketing and communication manager and the International Olive Council that has the role of Advisor and disseminator of the results of the project.
The project started with rain-fed plots and its first mission was to establish an irrigation system in these plots. It generated a higher olive yield and improved the oil quality as well as enhanced the profitability of the project participant farmers, being expected during this year the results of the on-line commercialisation of the products.
You can follow more details here https://www.artolio.world
