Our aim is to maintain and increase soil fertility and encourage and increase biological cycles in the agricultural systems of microorganisms, soil flora and fauna of plants and animals. Moreover by using renewable energy locally, working with materials that can be reused or recycled on a farm. To reduce all forms of pollution from conventional agriculture To maintain the genetic diversity of agricultural ecosystems to protect plants and wildlife. To provide producers with a livelihood, to meet their basic needs and to provide them with an adequate income and satisfaction from their work in a safe environment. The aim of our action is to highlight these problems, to bring the participants in direct contact, showing them the whole process of oil extraction, starting from the picking of the olives, the treatment it receives to get the oil out, and the exploitation of its fruit as an alternative. Source of energy and to discuss alternative ways of cultivation, that of organic, as well as to get to know a place (that of Laconia) where the olive is one of the main agricultural activities. The young people who will participate in the program will benefit in many areas. Moreover we aim to make participants understand the connection between climate change and human intervention in natural processes and learn the scientific facts of the subject, gain skills for actions about climate change, learn the history of the place where they will be hosted, exchange intercultural views, visit the olive museum that will fill them throughout the course of their lives with general and specific knowledge on specific issues, see different occupations that until now they did not know and will review rural life with the possibility of engaging in it and learn ways to exploit the olive, as well as how it can used as an alternative energy source.
The project will be 8 DAYS excluding travel days to Sparta, Laconia, Greece in November 2022 by 4 organizations from Greece, Italy, Spain, Lithuania. The meeting will take place between the participants, in the room provided by the local club, with a game of non-formal education and then a small presentation of the action through digital tools. This process will boost the confidence of the participants, bring them closer and they will learn the introductory elements needed for the project. We will visit the Museum of Olive and Greek Oil in Sparta. This process will put them in the meaning and importance of the olive tree from the most ancient times that perpetuated until today, sensitizing them to the continuation of this quality that it offers. They will be enriched with general and specific knowledge about the history, culture and eating habits of another era. We will visit the factory,” 300 Spartans” olive oil, in Sparta, Laconia. There they will get very useful information about the quality of the olives as well as all the participants will have the opportunity to taste the different varieties that can offer different types of olives and will be taught the techniques of the profession. We are going to a field with excluded organic olives. This day will be an introductory one without the involvement of the participants in the process of harvesting the olives, as they must first be trained while on the farm. We will emphasize to them the importance of following the instructions, in order to prevent the necessary measures to prevent an accident. Through this process, the participants will explore the knowledge gained in the previous days, will use it in practice and will capture it on a theoretical and practical level. Our next visit will be to a factory where the olive fruit is exported. The SPARTA FARM olive mill with the certified seal Quality Management System – ISO will welcome us, showing us the process you follow to nucleate the olive. It is worth noting that from an environmental point of view, the fuel derived from the olive fruit is very low to negligible sulfur content and that the fuel does not contain toxic compounds or heavy metals. This process will complete the cycle of the olive, from its cultivation to its nucleation.This day will include hiking in the local mountain (Kourkoula 916 m), where high up there is a chapel. In the chapel, which is located at an altitude of about 650 meters, a specially designed area with a barbecue has been built where we will camp and bake to eat together.Participants will present the knowledge gained through the project.
They will then consider the reflection from this activity, the experiences they gained, and whether they would like to implement similar projects in the future.