Traditional olive groves are much more than a farming system: they are landscape, culture, sustainability, and the livelihood of thousands of families. With the aim of protecting them and giving them the voice they deserve, the Association of Producers in Defense of Traditional Olive Groves has been officially introduced, a new organization created to safeguard farmers’ real needs and place them at the center of the decisions that affect their future.
The presentation took place at the Hotel Condestable and marks the first step of a project that is getting off to a strong start, bringing together around 20 cooperatives and approximately 15,000 farmers from the provinces of Jaén, Granada, and Córdoba.
During the presentation event, José Gilabert, president of the IGP Aceites de Jaén; Antonio Rafael Almirón, sector representative of Agro-food Cooperatives in Granada; and Nuria Yáñez, technical director of Almazaras de la Subbética and the provincial representative of this advocacy in Córdoba, took part.
As was made clear, the association was created to defend traditional olive groves against the advance of intensive and super-intensive models which, although more productive in volume, put the social, economic, and environmental sustainability of many olive-growing areas at risk. In José Gilabert’s words, this new entity “will defend traditional olive groves against the path of intensification that the agri-food industry is taking”.
Among the main objectives of the Association of Producers in Defense of Traditional Olive Groves is the demand for a fairer distribution of the CAP, as well as other key resources such as water, which currently—according to what was reported—tend to favor large farms over small and medium-sized farmers.
Another major challenge the association will tackle is generational renewal, seeking real options that make the future of farming attractive to young people. Without farmers there are no olive groves, and without traditional olive groves there is no living territory or oils with identity.
At Almazaras de la Subbética, we fully share the values and goals of this new association. Our cooperative model, made up of more than 7,000 families, is deeply connected to traditional mountain olive groves, respect for the environment, and the defense of a sustainable, quality production system.
That Nuria Yáñez, technical director of Almazaras de la Subbética, is an active part of this initiative and represents this advocacy at the provincial level in Córdoba reflects our firm commitment to the sector, to our farmers, and to the future of traditional olive groves.
The creation of the Association of Producers in Defense of Traditional Olive Groves is an important step toward uniting voices, pooling efforts, and working together for an olive-growing model that preserves the land, biodiversity, and the human value behind every olive.
At Almazaras de la Subbética, we will continue supporting initiatives that, like this one, defend the origin, quality, and essence of our EVOO.
