Andalusian Living Lab

87,268 km²

Total area

~8.6M

Population

Olive groves

Permanent Crops

Juan Jurado jjurado@ujaen.es
Living Lab Leader

The Territory

Located in Jaén, in southern Spain, the Andalusian Living Lab operates at the heart of the world’s largest olive-growing region. With more than 551,000 hectares of olive groves, Jaén is not only the leading producer in Spain but also one of the most important olive oil regions globally.

Olive cultivation here dates back centuries, shaped by favourable climatic conditions and soils ideally suited to the crop. The landscape is dominated by the Picual variety, internationally recognised for its high oil yield and quality, alongside other important varieties such as Arbequina, Royal, Hojiblanca, and Cornezuelo.

Today, Jaén produces around half of Spain’s olive oil and ranks among the top producers worldwide. However, this global leadership is under pressure from declining productivity, prolonged drought, rising production costs, and progressive soil degradation. Ensuring the future of olive farming in the region depends on restoring and protecting soil health.

The Crop

Olive groves are the backbone of Jaén’s economy, landscape, and cultural identity.

Olive Groves

Olive production in Jaén is still largely based on traditional systems, with most groves characterised by low tree density. At the same time, intensive and super-intensive systems are gradually expanding.

Nearly half of the olive groves are now irrigated, reflecting an adaptation to increasing water scarcity. However, without proper soil management, irrigation can introduce new challenges. Combined with steep slopes, high temperatures, and fragile soils, maintaining soil health across this landscape is one of the most pressing challenges facing the region today.

Main Challenges

The soils of Jaén face a combination of structural, climatic, and management-related pressures that threaten the productivity and ecological balance of its olive groves. Understanding these challenges is the foundation of everything the Andalusian Living Lab is working to change.

Soil Erosion

The steep slopes of Jaén’s traditional olive groves, combined with conventional tillage and a frequent absence of vegetation cover, make soil erosion one of the most serious threats facing the region. Bare soils between rows leave the land exposed to the heavy, concentrated rainfall events that characterise the area’s climate — accelerating surface runoff, nutrient loss, and long-term land degradation. Climate change is expected to intensify both drought periods and extreme rainfall, making erosion prevention a critical and urgent priority.

Soil Pollution

The use of pesticides, herbicides, and mineral fertilisers in conventional olive grove management can lead to soil contamination over time. Excessive or poorly timed applications result in the accumulation of harmful residues in the soil, disrupting microbial communities, reducing biological activity, and risking the contamination of water bodies through runoff and leaching. Reducing chemical inputs while maintaining productivity is one of the key transitions the Andalusian Living Lab is supporting.

Presence of Pests and Diseases

Olive grove soils can harbour pests and pathogens — including nematodes and soil-borne fungal diseases — that damage root systems and reduce tree vigour. The health of the soil microbiome plays a crucial role in natural disease suppression, meaning that degraded soils are more susceptible to outbreaks. Restoring biological activity and microbial diversity is therefore central to building more resilient olive grove ecosystems.

Water Stress

Although olive trees are drought-tolerant, sustained water scarcity affects their growth, productivity, and long-term health. In Jaén, where nearly half of groves are now irrigated to compensate for declining rainfall, efficient water management is increasingly critical. Poor soil conservation compounds water stress by reducing the soil’s capacity to retain moisture — meaning that improving soil health and addressing water stress go hand in hand.

Soil Biodiversity and Structure

Conventional management practices — including intensive tillage, herbicide application, and the removal of vegetation cover — have progressively degraded soil structure and reduced biodiversity across many of Jaén’s olive groves. The loss of soil organic matter weakens the physical architecture of the soil, reducing its ability to hold water, resist compaction, and support the biological communities that underpin healthy, productive agriculture.

A Partnership Rooted in the Olive Grove

The Andalusian Living Lab brings together a diverse network of 11 organisations spanning the entire olive oil value chain, from production and processing to research and policy.

Scientific leadership is provided by the University of Jaén, a recognised authority in soil and olive research with extensive experience in European projects. Public institutions such as the Diputación Provincial de Jaén and the Junta de Andalucía play a key role in ensuring that solutions are scalable and aligned with regional policies.

This multi-actor collaboration creates a strong foundation for developing practical, science-based solutions that can transform Jaén into a global benchmark for sustainable olive production.