Environmentally friendly cultivation fromthe field to the producer’s profitability with living olive groves

The growth of the human population has resulted in increased food consumption, followed by the intensification of agri-food production. Human activities have a significant impact on the environment, causing, among other things, air and water pollution and the degradation of biodiversity (Rezazga et al., 2024). In an international context where there is intense concern over environmental issues, it is also essential to direct food production toward more sustainable models. In this framework, the use of systems for certifying the environmental footprint of agri-food products can serve as a lever for promoting sustainable production and consumption. The objective of this work is to explore the opportunities for certifying the environmental footprint of products, focusing particularly on some of the main environmental claims: global warming, water depletion, and biodiversity loss—with an emphasis on the “Living Olive Groves” proposal (LIFEO livares Vivos+), an environmentally and economically sustainable management system.The olive sector was chosen as a case study, as it is the primary tree crop in Mediterranean countries and has strong implications for human health and the environment. The study revealed the potential for adopting various mitigation and improvement strategies for environmental performance, while simultaneously pursuing market objectives related to certified products.