Climate change in the spotlight at the OOWC

Presentations with highly relevant topics and the participation of more than 50 experts of recognized national and international prestige make the Olive Oil World Congress (OOWC) count in its first edition with a spectacular program of presentations. This event, which will take place from June 26 to 28, 2024 in Madrid, aims to become the most important international event for professionals in the olive oil and olive grove sector.

To this end, the OOWC has divided its program into 8 different blocks covering each and every one of the topics that concern the entire value chain of the sector.

Thus, the congress will open its first block of lectures entitled 'Olive oil facing climate change' with the interventions of Juan Antonio Polo, head of the IOC's Technology and Environment Department, who will speak on ‘Olive oil sector facing climate change: as parto f the solution'. It is not surprising that the olive tree, a fundamental crop for the Mediterranean Basin and other corners of the world, also plays a key role in the face of climate change since in their photosynthesis process olive trees capture and absorb carbon, storing it in the soil.

Georgios Koubouris, researcher and head of the Olive Growing Laboratory at the Institute of Olive, Subtropical Crops and Viticulture in Greece, will address how ‘Olive oil orchards facing climate change'. Undoubtedly, lack of rainfall and periods of drought will cause water stress to the olive tree, compromising flowering and, therefore, olive production. “The OOWC provides a unique opportunity to meet the top experts in the olive industry and get informed about the future of the sector in a holistic approach that brings together the knowledge about farming, industry, market and health benefits of olive products”, says Georgios.

Roberto García, researcher at the University of Jaén, will talk about the 'Carbon balance in olive orchards', and its contribution as a factor in the fight against climate change.

Emilio J. González, PhD in Agricultural Engineering at the University of Cordoba (UCO), will be in charge of the presentation entitled 'Cover crops as a soil carbon storage tool' in which questions such as how much carbon could be stored and what types of carbon, among others, will be answered.

Closing this block will be Kostas Chartzoulakis, senior researcher at the Institute of Olive and Subtropical Plants (NAGREF) in Greece, with his presentation on 'Improving irrigation efficiency in olive orchards facing droughts'. “At the OOWC the heart of olive sector beats with the latest developments in cultivation techniques, olive oil technology and quality, marketing, health and human nutrition”, he points out.

Register before it's too late

The OOWC reminds those interested in attending the congress in any of its different modalities: general, student or half congress, with or without gala dinner, it is necessary to register through this link.

Under the slogan 'Taste it, enjoy it, it's olive oil', the OOWC counts on the collaboration of AgroBank, CIA - Agricoltori Italiani, FOI, MSC, John Deere and the Junta de Andalucía through its brand 'Gusto del Sur' as Platinum sponsors; Grupo Interóleo, Yara International, GEA, Todolivo and Balam Agriculture as Gold sponsors; the company Kubota and SGS as Silver sponsors; and Agrocolor as other sponsors. Agrotec, Voz do Campo, Puglia Live, Grupo Joly and Oleo are the Media Partners of the OOWC.

Anyone interested in participating on the congress can obtain information from the OOWC Technical Secretariat by calling +34 91 721 79 29 or by sending an email to info@oliveoilwc.com