Notes for a Socio-ecological History of the Spanish Olive Grove

Spanish olive oil production has multiplied by about 7 during the last 120 years. During the first half of the twentieth century, the increase in production was mainly due to a marked increase in the olive grove area (doubled between 1850 and 1950) at expenses of the many natural areas such as the Mediterranean forest. Low planting olive tree density within a relatively diverse landscape matrix and with a secondary function but with a clear multifunctional role were characteristics of this olive grove. From the 1950s until now, area only has increased by 25%, and the rise in production is mainly due to an increase in productivity. Olive grove intensification based on breeding and changes in tree morphology, management practices, and an increase in tree density, all aimed at translocating as much photosynthesized energy as possible to the harvestable fruit, has resulted in homogenized monocultures with low natural and landscape values and a loss of olive grove multifunctional usage. These changes have required the use of large amount of external inputs manufactured and driven by fossil fuels and have been possible at the cost of a deterioration of the fund element. In this section, the main drivers and strategies, with marked social-ecological, economic, and landscape consequences, during the recent history of the olive groves in Spain are assessed from a socio-ecological perspective.