Measure 10.2.

Support for conservation and sustainable use and development of genetic resources in agriculture under the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020

Patners

Koperattiva produtturi taz-zebbug Limited & Olea Counseils (Tunisia)

Type of Action

Conservation-type operations supported under this measure shall concern one or more of the following actions:

Actions promoting the ex situ and in situ conservation, characterisation, collection and utilisation of genetic resources in agriculture, including web-based inventories of genetic resources currently conserved in situ, including in situ/on-farm conservation, and of ex situ collections (gene banks) and databases.

Actions promoting the exchange of information for the conservation, characterisation, collection and utilisation of genetic resources in agriculture, among competent organisations in the Member States.

Information, dissemination and advisory actions involving non-governmental organisations and other relevant stakeholders, training courses and the preparation of technical reports as a result of (a or b).

Conservation actions for plant genetic resources

Identification: selection & sampling of fruit sampling, including DNA analysis of selections to establish the identity of the variety

Characterization

Conservation: accessions from the selected plants would be identified and introduced into conservation fields then monitored to collect further data on physiological and morphological characteristics for the necessary registration to the National register of Varieties

Valorisation: to test aptitude to certain criteria, establishment of mother blocks of selected varieties for the production of healthy local varieties; promotion within the local farming community

Project Details

The Olive Growers Cooperative Limited is planning to establish a nursery for the Bidni olive cultivar in order to encourage olive growers in Malta and Gozo to cultivate this olive cultivar on their holdings. The BIDNI olive cultivar is one of the indigenous olive trees and is also popular with olive growers for its resistance to pests. The nursery will be located on third party property under a management agreement, that will include the management and cultivation of the root stocks. It is estimated that at least 1000 root stocks will be imported and then grafted by the Bidni cultivar.

The BIDNI cultivar is known for its high output of olive oil. A similar project was carried out when the olive sector was regenerated by the project of Sammy Cremona, with the support of Bank of Valletta, plc.

The Cooperative is also working on the establishment of the PDO quality mark and the BIDNI has been earmarked as the main cultivar for the PDO quality mark. Therefore it is very important that more olive growers are provided with the BIDNI cultivar to ensure a high production of PDO Extra Virgin olive Oil.

The project will also undertake scientific research regarding Identification, Characterization, Conservation and Valorisation of olive trees in Malta, as well will geo-tag a number of olive trees on which studies will be made.

Furthermore, the Cooperative will also undertake an awareness and educational campaign with a number of stakeholders in order to provide further information about the project, the Bidni cultivar and the olive sector in Malta.

Cross-Cutting Objectives of the RDP

The project shall address all three cross-cutting objectives:

(a) environment – the olive tree is an evergreen with a positive contribution to landscapes and is also carbon neutral

(b) climate change – as a durable tree, the olive trees have beneficial effects through making Maltese agriculture more adaptable and resilient to climate change

(c) Innovation – the high quality research that will be undertaken by the project will open new niches for further studies in Earth Sciences by students at the UoM..

Needs of the RDP:

Need 1: Water, Wastes and Energy: The olive tree is known for its adaptability for the Mediterranean climate and can resist long droughts. The olive sector does not produce a big quantity of waste since both by-products (pruning and pomace may be recycled by small projects. The only energy input in olive cultivation is used for irrigation when using electrical water pumps.

Need 2: Maltese Quality Produce: The olive sector in Malta is known for its high quality extra virgin olive oil that it can produce. In fact the Cooperative has sent abroad three samples of EVOO and all obtained very high quality standards.

Need 4: Landscape and Environment – managing habitats and features: Since the olive tree is a perennial and evergreen tree, it forms part of our rural landscapes. It has also been established that the olive tree has a positive contribution on emissions and plans are ebing developed to include the olive groves in the emissions exchange program.

Need 5: Wider rural economy and quality of life: The extra virgin olive oil produced by the olive tree is considered as green gold within the sector since it has a remarkable market potential. Hence olive groves that are well managed are economically sustainable and can improve the quality of life of rural communities, also by introducing secondary revenue activities such as olive tourism.

Educational and Awareness Campaign

The educational campaign will create awareness amongst two main stakeholders: (1) the olive growers who will be kept informed about the progress of the project and about the advantages of having the BIDNI cultivar on their holdings; (2) the general consumer will be informed about the project but more on the health properties of extra virgin olive oil, especially that produced from the BIDNI cultivar in Malta and Gozo.

The campaign will make use of existing TV and Radio programs, print media and social media to disseminate information about the project. A number of meetings in localities and events organised together with other stakeholders will be held during the duration of the project. A leaflet will also be distributed during all events of the campaign.

The campaign shall also include a series of educational visits to the nursery and a series of olive oil tasting sessions for a diverse sections of the population to encourage the consumption of extra virgin olive oil.

A website will be established for the project that shall delineate all actions and events and also publish the findings of the studies carried out during the duration of the project.

The Cooperative shall also organise a minimum of one workshop in order to promote the project and seek the participation of local stakeholders.

The Cooperative shall engage a public relations agency to ensure that the campaign maximises on its effectiveness and quality of the material produced for public consumption. We shall use market segmentation tools so that our events/publications are audience specific.

Project Sustainability

The project shall lead to several benefits, mainly in rural areas around Malta and Gozo:

Environment: The first important benefit of the project is to continue to encourage the cultivation of the BIDNI cultivar. This will have a positive effect on the environment, biodiversity and climate change mitigation through the fact that more trees will be planed in Malta and Gozo.

Economic: The project shall offer a revenue stream for the olive growers since olive oil has a very high economic value in the food supply chain.

Social: The olive harvest is a means to unite friends and families and built social networks as well as bring together many persons in olive harvest activities.

Tourism: There is also a trend in the Mediterranean countries to encourage rural and olive tourism, and the project will be a catalyst to encourage more olive tourism in Malta and Gozo.
In fact the Cooperative has already commenced discussions with the Malta tourism Authority to implement new and positive measures to promote sustainable tourism in the form of rural and olive tourism. We have also taken steps to join a Mediterranean Network called Re.Co.MED that promotes sustainable, rural, olive tourism in the Mediterranean Region.

Aesthetic: The olive tree is recognized around the world as a very durable and aesthetic tree offering an awesome landscape for all visitors in the olive groves, which are today being used also for meditation, dinners, yoga and prayers.

Budget