The olive-growing sector is going through a complex phase: production costs are rising, markets are volatile, and the temptation to chase quick fixes is strong. But those who work the land know it well — an olive grove cannot be improvised. Today’s choices about training system, variety and soil management determine the profitability of the next thirty years.
It was in this spirit that on Thursday 22 May, from 4:30 PM, the Op Latium facility in Vetralla hosted the conference “Agronomic choices for the economic sustainability of new olive groves”, organised by Edizioni L’Informatore Agrario together with Op Latium.
Why the initial choices matter so much
Planting an olive grove is a long-term decision: the trees planted today will produce for decades, and mistakes made at the outset are paid for throughout the life of the planting. This is why the design phase — which training system to adopt, which cultivars to choose, how to prepare and manage the soil — is the one that most affects future economic sustainability. It’s not about chasing trends, but about making costs, yields and quality add up over a horizon much longer than a single year.
Intensive, super-intensive or traditional?
One of the central issues is the training system. The traditional olive grove, with widely spaced and often centuries-old trees, has higher harvesting costs but preserves the landscape and historic cultivars. The intensive system increases plant density per hectare and allows for partial mechanisation. The super-intensive system, with tight rows, aims for high yields and fully mechanised harvesting, but requires substantial investment and is only suited to certain varieties and soils. No model is “better” in absolute terms: each has different numbers, costs and constraints, and the right choice depends on the specific context of the farm.
The soil, the foundation that’s often overlooked
Of all the variables, soil management is perhaps the most underrated, yet it is the foundation on which the entire planting rests. Understanding the soil’s structure and fertility, maintaining its organic matter, managing water and preventing erosion are interventions that don’t give immediate results but protect productivity over the years. Living, well-managed soil reduces dependence on external inputs and makes trees more resilient to climate stress — an economic advantage as well as an agronomic one. It’s the point where environmental sustainability and the bottom line coincide.
What was discussed
The goal of the conference was concrete: to give producers, technicians and supply-chain operators the tools to make good decisions. There’s no one-size-fits-all model — there’s the ability to read your own territory, understand the market and choose accordingly. The programme laid out the variables every olive-growing entrepreneur needs to have clear:
- Tiziana Sarnari (Ismea) opened with an analysis of market trends and extra virgin oil prices, the framework within which every business decision moves;
- Giacomo Italiani, agronomist at Gruppo Farchioni, addressed the economic advantages of the different training systems — intensive, super-intensive, traditional — each with its own numbers, costs and yields: it’s not about choosing the trendiest one, but the most suitable one;
- Primo Proietti (University of Perugia) covered soil and climate characteristics and variety selection: soil and climate can’t be changed, but they can be worked with through the right cultivars;
- Stefano Cifeca, head of agronomic assistance at Op Latium, closed by tying it all together: soil monitoring and managing problems in the field.
Antonio Boschetti, director of L’Informatore Agrario, moderated.
The common thread: knowing your own context
This conference offered no magic formulas. It offered something more useful: data, expertise and discussion to make informed choices. At a time when the sector needs to grow, the most solid growth comes from knowing your own context, not from copying someone else’s model. Soil, climate, market and variety are not separate variables: they need to be read together, and this is the interplay the conference put at its centre. The meeting anticipates the third edition of Olivo in Campo, scheduled for 30 September and 1 October 2026 in Roccastrada and Braccagni (Grosseto).
Practical information
- Date: Thursday 22 May 2026, 4:30 PM
- Venue: Op Latium Facility, Vetralla (VT)
- Attendance: free
- Registration and full programme: olivoincampo.informatoreagrario.it
