WORLD OLIVE DAY

November 26 is the date of World Olive Day proclaimed by UNESCO.

The idea of celebrating the olive tree and its importance for man and the environment was born in 2019, from a proposal from Lebanon and Tunisia, which submitted to the UNESCO Executive Committee the idea of enhancing this tree of ancient origins and the values it embodies. The olive tree, in fact, is a universally recognized symbol of peace, harmony, sustainability, and deep ties with the territory.

The request immediately found full support from UNESCO, which established World Day. There are many reasons, both economic and social, behind this decision,

The olive tree and its strategic importance in the economy

The olive tree has the ability to grow and thrive at the most diverse latitudes in the world. There are many rural communities that derive their livelihood from olive groves, thanks to the production of olive oil, table olives, and derived products.

Olive growing is practiced in almost 60 countries distributed around the planet and is particularly concentrated in the Mediterranean basin. Italy ranks first among world producers, along with Spain, Turkey, Tunisia, Morocco, Portugal, Slovenia, and Greece.

Olives and oil: a source of health for man and the planet

In addition to their economic and cultural value, olive groves also represent a barrier against desertification and soil erosion and actively contribute to the fight against global warming. The olive tree, in fact, is able to absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Role of the olive tree in nutrition:

Table olives and EVOO are among the protagonists of the Mediterranean diet, as a source of essential nutrients for health.

Olive trees are used in many countries for the production of oil but also for green olives and ripe black olives to eat alone or in many tasty dishes

The olive varieties in Italy are more than 500. Each territory has its own characteristic olive trees that have adapted to grow in that environment for centuries. The oldest olive tree is in Greece, between 2000 and 4000 years old, and in Sicily ,the oldest for Italy is only 1800 years old.

Olive Tree as a symbol

On the other hand, the olive tree is for altruism because you can not plant thinking of earning from its fruits in a short time because the olive tree begins to produce at eight years and the real good production around 40-50 years. This is why it is always said that we plant new olive trees for our grandchildren.