Introduction
The Olive Growing, Olive Oil Technology and Environment Unit is the technical arm of the International Olive Council. It leads the Organisation’s work on olive cultivation, processing technologies and environmental sustainability, turning the objectives of the International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives, 2015 into action across member countries.
The Unit’s mission is to promote modern, efficient and environmentally responsible practices from the olive grove to the mill. Its work contributes directly to improving productivity, quality and climate resilience while protecting natural resources and enhancing the value of olive products. Another core priority of the Unit is the preservation of olive genetic resources, ensuring long-term access to the diversity of cultivated and wild olive varieties for future generations.
Rooted in the Mediterranean but now expanding well beyond its borders, the olive tree ecosystem provides key environmental services such as soil conservation, biodiversity protection and carbon storage, while supporting rural livelihoods and local economies. This dual role — economic and ecological — underpins the Unit’s integrated approach to technical cooperation, innovation and sustainability in the sector.
Technical Cooperation and Training
The Unit’s Technical Cooperation and Training Department builds capacity across IOC member countries, helping institutions and professionals adopt sustainable and high-quality practices in olive growing and olive oil technology.
The department is also responsible for coordinating all academic and scholarship activities, supporting knowledge transfer and facilitating information exchange among member countries. It oversees the drafting and updating of the World Olive Encyclopaedia and develops technical tools and databases to support cooperation and learning.
These initiatives strengthen national expertise, promote the transfer of innovation and encourage the adoption of IOC standards and best practices.
Olive Oil Technology and the Environment
The IOC links technological advancement with sustainability. The Olive Oil Technology and Environment Department focuses on improving environmental performance across the olive value chain while maintaining high production standards.
It promotes efficient extraction systems and sustainable mill operations; the responsible use of water, energy and agricultural inputs; circular approaches to waste and by-products; and the integration of climate and biodiversity goals into production systems.
Through its tools and guidance, the department supports member countries in aligning their olive sectors with international climate and sustainability frameworks. Key initiatives under this department include the Carbon Balance Project and related climate change mitigation tools, the World Catalogue of Olive Varieties and associated characterisation work, and the coordination of the International Olive Germplasm Banks Network. The Unit is also involved in the long-term preservation of olive genetic resources, including the recent deposit of olive seeds in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.
IOC Scholarships
The IOC awards competitive scholarships to foster a new generation of experts in olive growing and olive oil technology.
- PhD programme: Supports advanced research aligned with IOC priorities, including sustainability, quality and innovation. Scholarships include tuition, research costs and stipends for a four-year period.
- Master’s in Olive Growing and Olive Oil Technology (University of Córdoba): A two-year academic and research-based programme preparing technical leaders for the sector. IOC scholarships cover full participation for selected candidates from member countries.
- International course in virgin olive oil tasting: A three-month intensive programme hosted by the University of Jaén, training professional tasters and future panel leaders to apply the IOC organoleptic method.
Together, these programmes have supported hundreds of professionals and researchers across more than 25 member countries.
Supporting Member Countries
The IOC provides direct support to member countries through tailored technical assistance and training. On the one hand, the organisation of expert missions brings leading specialists to the field to assess specific needs and provide practical recommendations on orchard management, processing, quality and environmental performance. On the other, national and regional training activities build local capacity around key themes such as sustainable production, water use, pest management and sensory evaluation.
These actions respond to country-specific priorities and strengthen the sector’s ability to implement IOC guidelines and international standards.
External Projects and Institutional Agreements
The IOC supports and participates in international and regional research and development projects that promote innovation and sustainability in the olive sector. Acting as a technical and strategic partner, the Organisation provides scientific expertise, facilitates knowledge transfer, and helps align project outcomes with IOC priorities.
Ongoing and concluded projects
The Olive Growing, Olive Oil Technology and Environment Unit contributes to projects as a partner, advisor or steering committee member. These include but are not limited to:
- Soil O-Live (EU Horizon Europe): Research on the impact of soil health, biodiversity and land management on the quality and safety of olive oil in Mediterranean olive groves.
- BeXyl (“Beyond Xylella”, EU-funded): Strategies for detection, prevention and management of Xylella fastidiosa in olives and other crops.
- SUSTAINOLIVE (EU Horizon 2020): Agroecological approaches to sustainability in Mediterranean olive groves.
- Artolio: Support to small-scale olive oil producers through capacity building and innovation across Mediterranean countries.
- Gen4Olive: Pre-breeding and characterisation of olive genetic resources to address climate and agronomic challenges.
- CLIMOLIVEMED: Research on climate change adaptation in Mediterranean olive growing.
- NOVATERRA: Reduction of pesticide use in vineyards and olive groves through integrated strategies.
- OLEA International: Mediterranean network for olive research and innovation, endorsed by the IOC.
- True Health Olive Cultivar (University of Córdoba): Identification and sanitation of key cultivars; support to national germplasm banks.
Institutional agreements
The IOC has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with leading universities, research institutions and international organisations to promote cooperation on training, research, plant health and communication.
Academic and research partners include
- Croatia: Institute for Adriatic Crops
- Greece: Agricultural University of Athens
- Iran: Jahangir Technical and Vocational Training Center (Olive School)
- Italy: Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA)
- Morocco: National School of Agriculture of Meknès (ENA Meknès)
- Portugal: University of Évora; Instituto Politécnico de Bragança
- Slovenia: The Science and Research Centre Koper (ZRS Koper)
- Spain: Madrid Institute for Investigation and Rural Development (IMIDRA); Andalusian Institute of Agricultural, Fisheries, Food and Organic Production Research and Training (IFAPA), University of Córdoba (UCO), University of Jaén (UJA)
- Tunisia: Agricultural Research and Higher Education Institute (IRESA)
- Türkiye: General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies (TAGEM)
International organisations
- United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO): Cooperation on plant health, sustainability and technical assistance.
- International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM): Joint work on training and research, particularly through CIHEAM Zaragoza.
These agreements provide a framework for joint projects, academic exchanges, specialist training and knowledge dissemination aligned with IOC goals.
UJA Sustainability Portal
The IOC collaborates with the University of Jaén on a dedicated online portal that gathers research, tools and communication materials on sustainability in the olive sector. Hosted by UJA’s Institute for Olive and Olive Oil Research and accessible via the IOC website, the portal supports the dissemination of key project results and facilitates stakeholder engagement around climate action, carbon balance, agroecology and circular economy in olive cultivation.
IOC Network of International Olive Germplasm Banks
The IOC coordinates a global network of international and national olive germplasm banks to conserve olive biodiversity and support sustainable development, innovation and resilience in the sector.
Objectives of the network
The network safeguards and manages olive genetic resources by conserving cultivars and wild genotypes in field collections, authenticating and characterising them through harmonised protocols, facilitating the exchange of material under agreed standards, establishing documentation and certification tools such as the World Catalogue of Olive Varieties and True Healthy Olive Cultivars (THOC), and supporting research and breeding for climate resilience, disease resistance and modern production systems.
Conservation strategies
Conservation strategies include ex situ conservation, which involves maintaining living trees in field collections such as those in Córdoba, Marrakech and Izmir to enable the direct study of genetic traits, and in situ or on-farm conservation, which preserves olive diversity within traditional groves and landscapes, maintaining local adaptation, cultural heritage and the ongoing evolution of cultivars.
International banks
The IOC currently recognises eight international germplasm banks:
- Spain – Córdoba (WOGBC, UCO/IFAPA): Global reference collection with hundreds of accessions; leader in molecular characterisation and training.
- Morocco – INRA Tassaout: Second-largest global collection; focus on drought tolerance and adaptation in semi-arid conditions.
- Türkiye – Izmir: Eastern Mediterranean diversity; complementary agro-climatic environment for characterisation.
- Argentina – San Juan (INTA): Covers Mediterranean and South American material under Southern Hemisphere conditions.
- Israel – Volcani Institute: Focus on stress tolerance and disease resistance in arid conditions.
- Iran – Ministry of Agriculture Jihad (ARG): Characterisation and breeding under extreme and continental climates.
- Greece – ELGO DIMITRA, Crete: Newly designated international bank with strong representation of ancient and local cultivars.
- Italy – CREA OFA: Supports breeding and agronomic research, with ties to EU projects.
Across these banks, ongoing work includes genome-wide characterisation, development of core collections, and studies on traits for climate adaptation and disease resistance.
National banks
Fourteen national germplasm banks across IOC member countries — including Albania, Algeria, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Montenegro, Portugal, the State of Palestine, Tunisia and Uruguay — play a vital role in conserving local varieties and wild relatives, supporting national breeding and extension efforts, contributing plant material to international banks for broader characterisation, and providing data for IOC publications and tools.
International cooperation
The network is increasingly aligned with the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA). Through agreements facilitated by the IOC, the Córdoba and Marrakech collections have been included under the Treaty’s Multilateral System, enhancing global access and benefit sharing.
The IOC, in cooperation with the FAO and the Crop Trust, is working towards a global strategy for olive genetic resources, focusing on governance, funding and international access.
Key Projects and Technical Resources
The Unit develops and maintains key reference resources that underpin technical cooperation, research and training:
- World Catalogue of Olive Varieties: A harmonised reference describing the characteristics, performance and suitability of major olive cultivars. Used by growers, researchers and nurseries to support variety selection and genetic conservation.
- World Olive Encyclopaedia: A comprehensive scientific reference on the olive tree, olive oil and table olives, covering biology, agronomy, processing, nutrition, economics and more. An updated, user-friendly Encyclopaedia version will soon be published on the IOC website.
- Carbon balance calculation tool: An online platform allowing growers and technicians to calculate the net carbon balance of olive groves and production systems. Developed by the IOC to support climate-friendly practices and improve access to sustainability schemes.
- Svalbard Global Seed Vault: The IOC has also contributed to the global preservation of olive genetic heritage through the deposit of seeds from key cultivars in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, ensuring their conservation for future generations.
