The 2nd Int’l Olive Center Conference wraps up after two deeply engaging days

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2nd Int’l Olive Center Conference

The 2nd International Olive Conference hosted by the Krinos Olive Center at Perrotis College, titled “Olive Sector: Searching for Innovation – Discovering New Trends”, was held on June 3rd and 4th, 2021. The conference was attended by 35 distinguished speakers from Greece, the US, Spain, Australia, Israel, and Belgium, while approximately 1,200 people from Greece and the rest of the world were registered.
The 2nd International Olive Conference was a forum for dialogue, exchange of views and scientific presentations on the olive tree. The speakers made important presentations on recent innovations and future trends regarding the global olive industry, while farmers, scientists and entrepreneurs, representing every stage of the sector, had the opportunity to exchange views and learn from the experts.

A full and comprehensive program

On the first day of the Conference, best agricultural practices were discussed, with Dr Athanassios Gertsis, Director of Krinos Olive Centre and Head of the Postgraduate Program “Sustainable Agriculture and Management” at Perrotis College, talking about fertilization, plant protection, and production systems, while Dr Konstantinos Hartzoulakis, Scientific Advisor in Irrigation & Olive, former Director of the Institute of Olive & Subtropical Plants, in Chania, Greece, discussed the cultivation of the olive tree in the world, the current situation and its prospects. In addition, the day’s program included the topic “Olive Sector: A Driver for Healthy Rural Development” featuring a plethora of Greek experts debating subjects such as “The major challenges for olives and olive oil in the context of the European Green Deal” and “Olive oil – National strategy for the day after”.
On the second day of the Conference, Prof. Doug Mashek PhD, Professor at the Department of Medicine and Biochemistry of the University of Minnesota, USA, presented defining new mechanisms through which olive oil promotes health, while right after, a discussion panel introduced the nutritional and health aspects of olive products, broaching subjects such as “Unraveling the microbiota of Greek table olives using novel molecular tools (Next Generation Sequencing)”, “A new AFQ accreditation system on agricultural products including olives”, “Nutritional Value of Table Olives: Facts and Challenges” and “A Randomized Clinical Trial of Greek High Phenolic Early Harvest Extra Virgin Olive Oil in Mild Cognitive Impairment: The MICOIL Pilot Study”.
The 2nd International Olive Conference concluded with talks on waste management and bio-economy. Sandra Meca Fàbrega, Head of Waste and Circular Economy at Waste, Energy and Environmental Unit of Fundació Eurecat, Spain, reviewed the topic “Towards Circular Economy in Table Olive sector: Opportunities for Resources Recovery”, while Dr Michael Braverman, Manager Biopesticide, Organic and International Capacity Building Programs, Department of Plant Biology, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, IR-4 Project at Rutgers University, USA, talked about “Developing Pesticide Residue Data for International Exports”