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Olive Oil Demand Creates Water Shortages in Europe

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Photograph by roboppy on Flickr.

Aggressive olive farming techniques for cheap, mass-produced olive oil now means extreme water shortages in Italy, Greece, Spain, and Portugal. Farms that produce the low-priced oils are driving out the small olive farmers who produce the quality goods—and are also leading to other "serious environmental problems" such as soil erosion.

Inappropriate weed-control and soil control, combined with the inherently high risk of erosion in many olive-farming areas, is leading to desertification on a wide scale in some of the main producing regions.

If these irresponsible farming methods continue, we might be demanding for butter instead of olive oil at our favorite restaurants.

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