What better occasion than the World Biodiversity Day proclaimed by the United Nations on May 22, to celebrate the olive biodiversity? So rich and varied, so important, so disruptive, it risked becoming “extinct” in the name of new large olive growing based on a price policy, but with little attention to sustainable development of the sector.
Over 600 native varieties of olive trees in Italy… nobody knows the exact number, but it is certain the richest varietal heritage in the worldGenotypes linked to specific cultivation areas, which have survived a thousand adversities over the centuries, have seen generations pass by, proving to be able to guarantee environmental compatibility, resilience and the ability to adapt to a changing climate.
Native varieties capable of expressing, through monovarietal oils, peculiar, unique and unrepeatable aromas and flavours, enriched with an added value, given by the territory, history, culture, traditions, landscape, monumental olive trees, typical recipes and by the producer, who puts his heart and face into it... in one word, of the Terroir.
Olive biodiversity, a value to preserve, cornerstone that cannot be ignored, to ensure a new “breath” to the olive tree, in times of climate change, respecting the health of plants, soil, the environment, as well as the protection of water resources and organic matter in the soil, to ensure economic, social and environmental sustainability, also thinking of future generations.
To celebrate the Italian olive biodiversity, AMAP – Marche Agriculture and Fishing Agency, is organizing the 22nd National Exhibition of Monovarietal Oils on 7-8 June in Smerillo (FM), in the heart of the Sibillini Mountains, a unique opportunity to meet selected producers from all over Italy, to learn more about the chemical and sensory characteristics of monovarietal oils and the potential of the database (www.olimonovarietali.it), to discover how excellent oil can be a protagonist in enhancing the landscape, well-being and the table.
Download the program by clicking here.
