Apadrina un Olivo - Social innovation against rural depopulation
Apadrina un Olivo (Adopt an Olive tree) is an initiative born in 2014 in a village in Aragon, with the aim of recovering abandoned centenary olive trees in an area with a very high rate of depopulation, contributing to the conservation of local biodiversity and the economic revival of the area. The strong rural exodus experienced in Oliete, Teruel (ES) in the last 60 years caused the abandonment of more than 100,000 olive trees. The founders of Apadrina un Olivo saw an opportunity for economic development and conservation for the region, based on both the recovery of the olive grove and the attraction of visitors to the area.
The olive trees are sponsored for a fee of 60 euros, which gives you the right to name the olive tree, follow the recovery process through the farmer in charge, and visit the olive tree whenever you wish. In addition, whoever sponsors an olive tree receives 2 litres of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This payment contributes both to the recovery of the olive grove and to the management of the initiative itself. The recovery of each sponsored olive tree is carried out following a series of steps: pruning and elimination of pruning waste, elimination of ground branches, soil tillage, spontaneous soil cover, soil fertilisation, foliar fertilisation with nettle slurry, ecological pest treatment and irrigation and maintenance.
The initiative has brought benefits in terms of employment generation, rural development and the environment. In the 10 years that the initiative has been running, more than 15,000 olive trees have been recovered, 16 jobs have been created, and visits to the village have increased significantly, reviving the local economy and even preventing the village school from closing! More info at: https://apadrinaunolivo.org/en
MAINSTREAMing small-scale BIO-based solutions across rural Europe via regional Multi-actor Innovation Platforms and tailored innovation support
Completed | 2022-2025
- Main funding source
- Horizon Europe (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
- Geographical location
- Bulgaria, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Greece, Belgium