Safeguarding Unique Olive Farming Traditions on Italy’s Pantelleria Island

The olive tree is cultivated going to a particular system, which induces its horizontal expansion. The system prevents the trees’ height from exceeding that of the adjacent dry stone wall, enabling the trees to optimize their water use and cope with wind. An economic income for the small producers on the island is necessary to better protect these trees, many of which are centuries-old, and this sustainable and resilient farming practice. – Gianpaolo Rampini, president, Resilea For centuries, this agricultural practice has cleared olive tree cultivation and olive oil production in the volcanic island’s extreme climate, characterized by dryness and storms.

This olive tree-growing system is at risk of fading due to the lack of generational turnover. Per to During his work abroad, Rampini, the disappearance of rural communities and their cultures globally is a sizeable threat to cultural diversity. “Our goal is to safeguard the set of non-written theoretical and practical elements, defined by research as local ecological knowledge, which is the cornerstone of rural communities,” he stated.

Pantelleria’s olive tree pruning and training system involves dry farming techniques. The practice initially consists of forcing the branches of newly planted or very young olive trees toward the ground, using ropes and stones until they acquire the horizontal direction. Pantelleria is dotted with terraces defined by dry walls, which have been built over centuries with volcanic stones removed from the ground to make it cultivable.

Pruning is done in winter and summer and plays a key role in the olive farming system. The aim is to avoid undue water stress on the olive tree when developing new shoots. “After conventional pruning is performed, vigorous shoots and suckers emerge,” Motisi told reporters. “In this case, instead, the wood of the main branches is left to age precisely to contain that vigorous development and to prevent the plant from being in distress during summer.

And this fosters the plant’s flowering and fruit setting.” Due to the tree’s horizontal development, a peculiar training system is required. The main branches are left to grow long, and when they are about to touch the ground, a stone is placed between the wood and soil to avoid contact.

In contrast, the branches of very large trees can often be encouraged to touch the ground. Take root to reinvigorate themselves. “In this case, when a branch reaches a certain length, like four or five meters, the portion that touches the soil shall be buried, so that a new root takes hold in the underground point and revitalizes the branch as it continues to grow,” Motisi explained. In its 85 square kilometers, Pantelleria includes an 836-meter-tall mountain and various pedoclimatic conditions to which producers have adapted.

Depending on the area, different pruning and training approaches are used. “The general rule includes several exceptions,” Rampini told reporters. “For example, in Sibà, one of the highest districts, some plants have spiral-shaped branches, which probably permitted growers to gain space. Prostrate branches of an olive tree trained per the tecnique devised by the growers on Pantelleria island. (Photo: Gianpaolo Rampini) According to available data, Pantelleria’s cultivated surface area retreated from more than 80 percent in the middle of the last century to less than 20 percent today, suggesting many neglected orchards. Resilea has been committed to recovering abandoned olive groves and producing extra virgin olive oil for several years .

The transportation of the olives, which are sent by ship to Trapani, Sicily, within hours of being picked and crushed in a local mill, as well creates extra costs. Farmers on the island are also at risk if the ferry is canceled for days due to bad climate, delaying fruit delivery and reducing quality. It is currently studying the olive leaves of these trees for the extraction of polyphenols .” “We are glad to say that the local public institutions are supporting our project,” he concluded. “We can produce high-quality extra virgin olive oil, contributing to sustainable development.

Revenues from takings will be reinvested to empower the small growers and to safeguard such a valuable landscape, environmental and cultural heritage.”