Regenerative agriculture

Regenerative agriculture goes well beyond organic or ecological management.

Regenerative agriculture has the potential to significantly reverse climate change. This type of cultivation produces the most valuable humus and stores large amounts of CO2 back into the soil. So you can make a small contribution to climate action in the form of high-quality olive oil!

Cultivating the soil sustainably is not enough, rather we want our use to improve it! More humus and stored CO2 has far more advantages than "environmentally friendly".

It's about creating groves that are significantly more drought-resistant and healthier. So every year of regenerative cultivation brings them closer to their natural potential.

Because the soil quality (healthy soil microbiology, high humus content, protective mulch layer and a healthy microclimate) increases the nutrient content of the plants and the resilience of the soil. Not only against drought but also against erosion caused by heavy rainfall or wind.

So it's about much more than "just" rejecting synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, etc.: The focus is (as the name suggests), regeneration. Especially the regeneration of soils and the build-up of humus. But also in a broader sense, regeneration of ecosystems and cycles.

A comprehensive explanation of regenerative agriculture is beyond the scope of this website, but here are a few points that clarify the principle (and our) implementation:

Healthy soil

If all the beeficial microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, etc.) are present and active, there is no need for fertilizer and much, much less water.
To achieve this:

The soil must always be "covered" (in the best case with living plants, otherwise with high-quality aerobic compost or mulch)
An active root system on the entire area at all times
The right mix of underplanting. This provides nutrients, aeration of the soil, shelter for beneficial insects, and mulch
No ploughing the earth
No irrigation with chlorinated water

In our case, this implies spreading tons of leaves, the compost of donkey manure (9 tons per year) and other mulch in the groves. We are not primarily concerned with "compost as fertilizer" but as mulch and injection of microorganisms.

Each batch is carefully examined under a microscope before it is applied. It takes many hours, acquiring and embracing a lot of knowledge, but it is the only way to determine if we distributing the right microorganisms into our groves.

Recovery of prunings

Something that we, as consumers, would never have thought about before: what actually happens to the whole pruning waste of branches (large quantities in all cultivated olive groves)? In the vast majority of cases, it is burned right next to the field. It doesn't take much to understand that burning wood that is still damp causes pollution and is of no use to the field.
Therefore:

We shred our prunings and it remains in the grove as mulch
Branches from diseased trees may be sorted out beforehand and separately hot composted

Alternatives to pesticides

To name only one example: To counter the olive fly, which causes great damage to the fruits, we:

Choose underplantings that attract the olive fly's natural predators
Hang traps to watch the population
If the population is increased: spray all trees and olives with kaolin clay. This extremely fine clay is mixed with vegetable oils, which function as "glue" and, after spraying, covers all leaves and olives. The clay is extremely irritating to olive flies and they will move on.
As a positive side effect, the white protective layer also provides sun protection.

Irrigation

Wherever irrigation is required, we utilise underground drip lines. Due to both the cooler ambient temperature and the protective upper layer of the earth, less valuable water evaporates.

Overall, thanks to the underplanting and the healthier soil, which can store much more water and release it in a more targeted manner, less irrigation is required anyway.

Inclusion of animals

Regenerative agriculture requires the inclusion of animals. On the one hand, as described above, manure is an important aspect, but the animals contribute even more!

By grazing (donkeys in our case) the underplanting is trimmed and root growth stimulated.

Many plants are simply trampled to the ground, another layer of mulch.

Luckily, both our donkeys and our chickens are crazy about fallen olives and thereby eat plenty of maggots from the olive moth or the olive-fruit fly!