IN FOCUS HISTORY & CULTURE
MORE
TREE THAN A
Historians may disagree about its origins, but for many people the olive tree carries immense emotional value of history, identity and rootedness By Zahraa Awada Badawi, OPEC Fund
I n 2019, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) officially recognized November 26 as World Olive Tree Day, following a proposal by Lebanon and Tunisia. More than a tribute to the olive tree, the declaration of World Olive Tree Day demonstrates the crucial role that olive farming plays in sustainable economic and social development, environmental preservation and promotion of peace, harmony and wisdom. The olive tree remains an indispensable part of human
heritage, even as it faces grave threats. Stemming from the Mediterranean, and growing across five continents, the value of the olive tree goes beyond the culinary, medicinal and nutritional properties of olives and olive oil. It also has cultural, socio-economic, agricultural and environmental significance for communities around the globe. Over the past 60 years, global olive oil production has tripled, reaching more than 2.75 million tonnes in the 2022/23 harvest season. Projections for the 2024/25 season suggest an
increase to 3.38 million tonnes. While archaeologists and historians may disagree where exactly olive oil was produced first in the eastern Mediterranean, it is certain that Phoenicians from what is today Lebanon played a crucial role in spreading the olive tree. Merchants from Tyre, a port in southern Lebanon and one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the world, introduced the olive tree to Carthage, Andalusia and Tuscany. Lebanon has had a pivotal role in the history and evolution of olive oil
28
Powered by FlippingBook