Standing under a large olive tree, Jose Cotton Olivera gently shakes his naked trunk. “He has over 1,000 years of age, more than Christ,” he says. Located near Serba on the soft mountains of Alendezo in the southeastern Portugal, its 30 -hectare olive grow is part of An oak mosaic And fruit trees, pastures and agricultural lands went from generation to generation.
In his family, Olivera got her last name, ie “olive” in Portuguese, and traditional terrain LoadedAn acrocelvopastral system that combines production and Natural protection. He proudly says, “Thousands of years of these trees, but they continue to benefit. This is a museum.” Every year, visitors come to appreciate the monuments of the monuments and read the 17 local olives in olive grove.
Olivera Ha is protected A varied terrain of increasingly rare in the allendezoThe single cultures of monitoring olive trees expand traditional orchards. “This is a wonderful variation. The only thing that is common to them is the same race,” he says. Unlike its dry olive grove, with deep roots and long durability, up to 2,500 trees per hectare per hectare in irrigation plantations can last for a few decades.
These single cultures use the most productive dwarf varieties to suit mechanization, which accompanies the highest yield. However, They depend on irrigationHeavy machinery and Agricultural Chemistry ProductsIt causes soil erosion and tooth loss.
Artificial Lake that feeds on olive oil empire in Portugal
Alendezo, uniform hedges of olive trees are extended to the sight. Irrigation gardens of the region have been rapidly expanding over the past two decades Water supply Of the Al -Qua reservoir, the The largest artificial lake of Western Europe.
Built with public funds this reservoir is designed Contribute to economic growth for one of the poor regions And dry of the continent. But irrigation has benefited from all the large business groups that benefit from the monitoring gardens of olive trees.
The public company that manages the Al -Qaa reservoir, according to Edda, More than 80% of its water are used for water gardens Extreme olive trees and almond trees. By 2024, it was supplied with water to 74,059 hectares of olive groves, mostly surveillance hedge. A few big companies like Elea, Prado and Akaria, some of the largest manufacturers Olive oil In the world, they control most of the irrigation lands in the region.
The construction of the Al -Qua Dam in the Quadiana River, the first dictator Antonio de Olivera Salaser proposed in the 50s, Flooded in the land of 25,000 hectaresDestruction of environmental systems and drowning people of light, as well as dozens of archaeological deposits.
Rather A million trees. A few old trees They swapped before the floodNow they decorate the gardens and squares throughout Alendezo and raise the last places of the missing landscape. Susana Sasetti, Director of Olivam With about 50,000 hectares of olive grovesThanks to the Al Qaa Portugal Dam, he says that he is one of the world’s main olive oil exporters.
Since the dam came into operation in 2002, olive oil exports They are multiplied by 12 by size And at a value of 18, he says that it reaches about 900 million euros per year. Intensity Olive oil production It is operated by the benefits of the European Union’s general agricultural policy and the increase in the world demand for olive oil. From 2007 to 2020, the Portuguese sector received more than 1,000 million euros in agricultural subsidies.
EDIA’s president Jose Point Salema, who guarantees the water supply to the region and ensures that the dam plays an important strategic role and has created employment Attracted investments. However, intense gardens, the most mechanized, depend on the migration of the seasonal and poorly paid.
The dam did not stop the rural masses. Between 2011 and 2021, Alendezo lost over 52,000 peopleThe biggest statistical fall in Portugal.
The environmental impact of extreme olive gardens
Although alkua irrigation system and extreme gardens of olive trees They make more profit for investors In the short term, anxiety over environmental costs is increasing. Scientists and environmental activists have warned that in southern Portugal It replaces a varied terrain In the monotonous rows of extreme gardens, damage to environmental systems and pollute with water and soil Agricultural Chemistry Products.
Professor Theresa Pindo Korea of the University of évora, which specializes in rural landscapes, public investments in the Al Qua Dam They have benefited from all of the big companies for a small group of big companies And foreign investors. This has caused the concentration of the land and artificially low -cost water.
“He’s Water price It should take into account the infrastructure that includes not only the construction costs of the dam but also the irrigation channels, including the water and electricity required to pump the water at a high height of the already high. “But this is not reflected in the price paid by users, he explains.
AdvertisementThe dam indicates The largest public investment Made in agriculture in the modern history of Portugal, it costs 2.5 billion euros. EDIA plans to expand the irrigation into an area of 470 sq km, which will be funded with public funds.
“Many companies (they use alkua water) Investment funds focus on good And completely disconnected from the territory. They do not think about promoting a constant future for the next generation, ”says Pindo Korea. He worries that these benefits are obtained at the expense of Alendejo’s natural resources, no supervision or regulations.
Zero, one of the main environmental systems of Portugal, Denounced uncontrolled expansion Single cultures in Alendezo. Point Pedro Horda is documented by the head of zero policies Abundant rapes and environmental violationsDestroy major water networks, damage to protected areas and preferably habitats, as well as harmful agricultural procedures Erosion and soil degradation.
“Given the landscape change They have made a major loss of biodiversity And environmental destruction. According to a report published by EDIA, he only holds intense gardens only traditional olive groves.
AdvertisementAnother study conducted by a group of researchers from different Portuguese universities shows, shows How the expansion of monitoring agricultural systems is greatly reduced Diversity and decrease bird communities in Mediterranean olive groves.
Climate change makes water pressure worse
For many, the current route It is impossible in a region that is increasingly affected by drought And extreme weather events. A study of an agricultural advisor predicts climate change Increase water demand for irrigation olive groves 5% to 21%, the average annual contributions for the alkua reservoir are expected to decrease from 5% to 10% from 2050.
“We don’t have enough water“, Says Pindo Coria. Climatic change.
Jose Cotton Olivera believes in the shade of a century olive tree that has endured drought, storms and natural disasters, unlike irrigation gardens, his dried dry terrain This will continue to be beneficial for generations.
AdvertisementThe project was supported by the Climate Hall.
