BIOVEXO participates in the International Olive Oil Council workshop in Lisbon, Portugal

From 27-30 September 2022, BIOVEXO participated in the IOC International Workshop on “Initiatives to increase the resilience of the olive sector” held in Lisbon & Evora (Portugal).

The event, in which numerous experts in the field took part, was hosted by Jaime Lillo, Deputy Executive Director of the IOC, and coordinated by Catarina Bairrao Balula, Head of the Technical Cooperation and Training Department of the IOC. The Regional Director of Agriculture of the Alentejo Region, José Godinho, also participated in the opening of the event. Portuguese Minister of Agriculture and Food, Maria do Céu Antunes took part in the closing ceremony of the event.

Within the framework of the sustainability of the olive value chain, this workshop covered different matters related to fostering the resilience of the olive sector – from increasing tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses through genetics to the conservation of biodiversity and novel eco-friendly strategies to control emerging and re-emerging pathogens. Coordinators of the projects presented the strenuous work they have been doing in contribution to the survival of the olive trees and tackling production-related challenges. Both production and survival of the olive trees remain crucial aspects of focus towards a more sustainable approach. The projects presented are not focused only on the survival of the olive tree in the face of climate change but also in production, both which are critical aspects.  

The importance of knowledge transfer was highlighted throughout the event, both between the different groups and research projects and between the scientific community and farmers. The event was concluded with a discussion by the coordinators of projects to discuss future research and potential collaboration. This workshop served as a great opportunity to publicize the BIOVEXO project among the scientific community and stakeholders interested in the field of olive groves, as well as to learn about other projects on the subject and open doors for potential collaboration and contribution in the field.        

The BIOVEXO project was presented by Ana Falcon, a predoctoral researcher at the department of Microbiology and Biotechnology at DMC Research – a technological-based entity dedicated to R&D linked to DOMCA. DOMCA is one of BIOVEXO partners, and is a company located in Granada with 45 years of experience offering innovative biotechnological solutions to the agrifood sector. DOMCA has been active in Research and Development, collaborating with different private and public entities and participating actively in several R&D projects.