PREPARATION Summary

In Portugal, ecological olive growing is the second crop in organic farming, with 21912 ha, 31,4 % of all land certified area (69788 ha), according last available data from February 2002. It represents about 6,5 % of all olive area in Portugal. In order to describe main techniques followed by farmers in the Mediterranean Region, an international research network with MAICh co-ordination was done in several countries, including Portugal. In this country 12 questionnaires were made on farm, concerning ecological olive production. Main conclusions were the following ones:- most of ecological olive area are at the east regions of Portugal (99,8%), because there are less pests and diseases, witch allow a good olive oil production without spraying;- most of olive growers don’t control any pest or disease;- quality and quantity of organic olive oil is varying with pest and disease pressure, witch depends on climate conditions and different regional varieties;- most of olive growers don’t apply any organic fertiliser from outside of the farm;- some of the growers make cover crops, but not all of them;- soil erosion is a problem in some of the cases because of excessive tillage in the weed control; Key-words: organic olive growing / Portugal organic olive oil 1.Introduc tion In Portugal, organic farming is a production system in a moderate growth. Total certified area is about 69.788 ha (February 2002), while olive grove represents 31,4 % o