Doctor Roberto García Ruiz, professor at the University of Jaén and coordinator of the SUSTAINOLIVE project, has resumed visits to olive farms once trips between provinces have been allowed. The objective of these visits is to select farms that meet the criteria identified in the work area corresponding to the implementation and evaluation of sustainable technological solutions (STS) in demonstration farms. Several demonstration farms will be selected in each of the countries and regions of the consortium, including those where STSs have already been implemented (for at least 8 years), along with other control farms. These farms will be monitored in mutual coordination for a wide range of variables related to ecosystem services.
Specifically, last week the Spiritu Santo farm located in the municipality of Úbeda (Jaén) was visited. It is a 65 Hectare farm that has been producing and packaging its own oil with organic certification for 5 years. Its manager, Juan Molina, tells us about his obsession with closing the nutrient cycle and carbon sequestration on the farm, with practices such as the integration of livestock to control plant cover and promote biodiversity, the contribution of organic matter, use of by-products of the mill, water saving and other sustainable practices that are expressed in oils that are widely awarded internationally. To get to know his project better, you can connect with the following video: https://vimeo.com/92936837