Olive Oil Demand Creates Water Shortages in Europe
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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2 Comments:
I believe that when consumers learn what is god and what not about oils, they won't buy the cheap stuff and the pressure will be relieved. OTH, olives are one of the few crops that really do not need to be watered if you aren't trying to sacrifice quality for quantity. I honestly have not seen intensive irrigated plantings in Italy, but I haven't been everywhere. Yet.
Judith in Umbria at 4:21AM on 08/27/08
Judith, I hope you're right. We haven't proven to be so collectively bright in the past.
Interesting that there are 2.5MM producers and that the government encouraged the growth.
OliverRanch at 3:20PM on 08/27/08