SPAIN
Francisca Ruiz Castro
My goal is the transition to organic and we are already in the first year of the conversion.
My olive grove has a total area of 9.34 hectares, of which 2.91 ha are traditional rainfed olive groves. The fact that we have part of the olive grove irrigated and part in dry land, shows the difference in profitability between them, even being bordering plots, in the dry land olive grove we have trees with little vigour, low productions and long periods with virtually no harvesting. The whole olive grove is a traditional 10 x 10 frame with two trunks, with an average slope of approximately 8% and a total plant density of about 1100 olive trees. My goal is the transition to organic and we are already in the first year of the conversion.
The olive grove is located in the National Park of Sierra Magina in the little village of Torres nearby the town of Mancha Real in Jaen.
The olive grove is located in the National Park of Sierra Magina in the little village of Torres nearby the town of Mancha Real in Jaen. Due to its geographical location, it has abundant water springs because it has a very rainy climate. These springs give rise to great landscapes. That is why the farm is located in an area full of biodiversity. It combines olive trees with patches of bush vegetation because the olive tree has been gaining ground over the years against bushes. The economy of this area is based on a rural economy based on olive groves and, to a lesser extent, on cherries.