The fight against Xylella continues, but the land affected by the pathogen can be revitalised
Following the felling of centuries-old olive trees in Puglia, there have been examples of intensive olive cultivation and cases of conversion to other crops and tourism. Meanwhile, experimentation continues and new funding is being made available
Key points
Cereals, pastureland and super-intensive farming where centuries-old olive trees once stood. Thirteen years after its first appearance, Xylella – the pathogen that has transformed the landscape of Puglia, with over 4 million olive trees felled and at least 600 million in public funds spent – is far from being a thing of the past. The ‘regeneration’ of the affected areas must grapple with the need to coexist with the pathogen and with the crisis in the olive market, but beyond the emergency, a new model based on the circular economy and innovation is emerging.
Pantaleo Greco, owner of the eponymous farm in Lecce, has left a 1,300-year-old olive tree as a “reminder” after surviving “hell” and having replanted over 1,600 trees per hectare using mulch, as well as digitising his business – partly converting it to maize cultivation to feed a cow-and-calf rearing programme – and pioneering the new frontier of olive oil tourism. A circular economy model that has become the subject of study.
Lapo Pignatelli, who owns 120 hectares in the Lecce area near Otranto, has used the wood from the centuries-old olive trees that were uprooted to diversify the farm by setting up a joinery workshop and sowing wheat, planting new olive trees, some at medium density (800 ‘Favolosa’ trees per hectare) and some at high density (1,600).
An event organised by Confagricoltura in Rome took stock of the progress made in research following “the devastation of an entire production area, and it is by no means certain that the spread of this bacterium can be confined to the three affected provinces – said Walter Placida, president of Confagricoltura’s product federation –. Paradoxically, however, the battle waged against Xylella in the Lecce area, Foggia and Brindisi has actually led to those areas becoming more productive thanks to innovation and the adoption of an intensive model, with extensive mechanisation that has made it possible to overcome and improve the cost structure of national olive growing, which was not always sustainable. ‘As is often the case after a conflict, there is a rebirth.’
Learning from mistakes
At the heart of olive growing, however, there remain scars and wounds that are still open. The president of Confagricoltura Puglia, Antonello Bruno, recalled “the worst kind of environmentalism, which for years took precedence over scientific solutions. If we find ourselves still talking about Xylella today, it is partly for this reason: tackling it in accordance with scientific guidelines would have helped resolve the problems, but would have cost political support. Instead of following the tree-felling plan and helping us to convince the farmers, politicians have stopped them. No one can feel safe from Xylella today; a tourist leaving a Puglia agritourism establishment could carry it anywhere, and we might only find out in ten years’ time’.
