Green Infrastructure establishment for sustainable olive orchards - The case of LIFE IGIC project

Green Infrastructure (GI) is defined as “a strategically planned network of natural and seminatural areas, along with other environmental features, designed and managed to deliver a wide range of ecosystem services”. The implementation of Green Infrastructure (GI) —also referred to as Ecological Infrastructure— in agroecosystems, along with the application of agroecological farming practices in olive orchards and other perennial crops, has been proposed as a promising strategy to enhance biodiversity and sustainability, counteract the negative impacts of intensive management, and improve resilience and adaptation to climate change. In olive orchards, GI consists of both natural and constructed elements (GI components), such as aromatic, medicinal, and fruit-bearing plants, water ponds, and stone or brush refuges, as well as the application of sustainable agroecological farming practices. These practices include optimal canopy management (e.g., pruning and recycling of pruning residues), agroecological soil management (e.g., minimal tillage and use of cover crops), nutrient and fertilizer management, irrigation water management, and plant protection strategies.