Territories and landscapes of Mediterranean Olive groves in the framework of Soil O-live project

This book explores the Mediterranean olive grove as a living landscape shaped by centuries of human activity and now facing unprecedented environmental and social challenges. Through real-world examples from olive-growing regions in southern Europe and north Africa, it shows how everyday farming decisions, market pressures, climate change, and public policies directly affect soil health, biodiversity, and the long-term viability of olive cultivation.

Developed within the Soil O-live European research project, the volume combines science, geography, and social insight to reveal what is happening beneath the surface of one of the Mediterranean’s most iconic agroecosystems. At the same time, it highlights practical pathways toward more sustainable and resilient olive groves, demonstrating how caring for the soil is essential not only for producing olive oil, but for protecting landscapes, rural livelihoods, and our shared environmental future.

Este libro analiza el olivar mediterráneo como un paisaje vivo, moldeado por siglos de actividad humana y que ahora se enfrenta a retos medioambientales y sociales sin precedentes. A través de ejemplos reales de regiones olivareras del sur de Europa y el norte de África, muestra cómo las decisiones agrícolas cotidianas, las presiones del mercado, el cambio climático y las políticas públicas afectan directamente a la salud del suelo, la biodiversidad y la viabilidad a largo plazo del cultivo del olivo.

Elaborado en el marco del proyecto europeo de investigación Soil O-live, el volumen combina ciencia, geografía y análisis social para revelar lo que está sucediendo bajo la superficie de uno de los agroecosistemas más emblemáticos del Mediterráneo. Al mismo tiempo, destaca vías prácticas hacia olivares más sostenibles y resilientes, demostrando que el cuidado del suelo es esencial no solo para producir aceite de oliva, sino también para proteger los paisajes, los medios de vida rurales y nuestro futuro medioambiental común.

Editorial

Editorial Universidad de Jaén

Colección

Sociedad y Ciencias Sociales

Formato

Tapa blanda

Páginas

208

Año

2026

Idioma

Inglés

ISBN

9788491597537

He holds a PhD in Humanities from the University of Jaén. Associate Professor in the Department of Cartographic, Geodetic and Photogrammetric Engineering at the University of Jaen. He is a member of the University Institute for Research on Olive Groves and Olive Oils (INUO) and the Caja Rural AOVES Chair in Jaen.

His current research focuses on issues related to spatial information management using GIS, particularly in the territorial and landscape analysis of olive groves. He is currently an active researcher in the European projects Soil O-live and LivingSoiLL. His latest articles on this subject have been published in European Planning Studies, Sustainability, Journal of Maps, Applied Geography, New Medit and Geojournal.

Professor of Regional Geographic Analysis at the University of Jaén, head of the Research Group on Territory and Society Studies. He is a member of the University Institute for Research on Olive Groves and Olive Oils (INUO) and the Caja Rural AOVES Chair in Jaén.

His work focuses on analysing the complexities that characterize rural areas and the challenges they face, interpreting the interaction between ecological environment and human groups on different spatial and temporal scales, and analysing the effects of spatial connections and the role of public policy.

From this perspective, he addresses aspects such as the dynamics of forest areas and protected areas, Mediterranean olive groves in their territorial and heritage dimension, as well as the demographic challenges of lagging areas.

Associate Professor of Ecology at the University of Jaén (Spain), where he conducts research at the Institute for Research on Olive Groves and Olive Oil. He holds a PhD in Plant Biology from the University of Seville and has held postdoctoral and research positions at Duke University (USA), Virginia Tech (USA), and other international institutions. His research focuses on agroecology, plant functional ecology, eco-genomics, and plant–animal interactions, with