ABSTRACT
The olive is one of the most important crops of human history. Consumed both in “table” form as a pickled fruit and, more commonly, pressed into oil, it has been used as a culinary staple, in cosmetics, medicines, rituals, as an embalming agent, and as a source of biofuel and light throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East for thousands of years. Greece is the world’s third largest producer of olive oil, after Spain and Italy. Over 60 percent of Greek agricultural land is dedicated to olive groves. The tree grows especially well in the climate and rocky soils of the region. Samos is a somewhat large, green, mountainous, and biodiverse Greek island in the Eastern Aegean Sea, home to 33,000 people, although the number swells greatly during the summer months. The prospects concerning the health and sustainability of the olive oil industry seem to be in good shape, although there will definitely be some major challenges.
