News

The SCALE-It project continues to progress in its experimental phase with new field activities. At this stage, AgroecoliveLab staff have selected Chardonnay grapevines at El Cascante farm (Alcalá la Real, Jaén, Spain), managed by Blanca Serrano (Viñedos y Bodega Marcelino Serrano), to evaluate their performance under real field conditions.

The trial focuses on applying an eco-friendly product as an alternative to copper for protection against powdery mildew and downy mildew, aiming to reduce environmental impact without compromising effectiveness.

Following plant selection, treatments will begin according to the established protocol, alongside detailed phenological monitoring to assess both crop development and product performance. The experimental work will continue over the coming months.

The European SCALE-it project has published the second edition of its newsletter, which highlights some of the main advances and activities carried out by the consortium in recent months.

Among the contents of this new issue, the newsletter features the first annual project meeting held in Granada, several dissemination and knowledge-transfer actions, and new collaborations aimed at promoting more sustainable alternatives in organic farming.

This second edition also includes one of the actions developed in the province of Jaén, where pilot plots of organic vineyards have started to be selected in order to test innovative plant protection strategies. One of the selected locations is Alcalá la Real, at the family winery Marcelino Serrano, with fieldwork carried out by Roberto García and Jaime Lechuga, from the Agroecolivelab.

With this new newsletter, SCALE-it continues to move forward in its goal of promoting sustainable and transferable solutions for the organic farming sector. Click here to suscribe.

The International University of Andalusia (UNIA) celebrates the 30th Anniversary of the Master’s Degree in Agroecology, an initiative that has spent three decades promoting the sustainable transformation of agri-food systems.

The event will take place on April 15, 2026, in Baeza (Jaén) and will feature the participation of leading international figures in the field of agroecology, as well as a live broadcast.

📌 Check the full programme in the attached image.

A new international study published in Nature Sustainability, led by Laura García-Velázquez, researcher from University of Alicante, and co-authored by Victoria Ochoa, researcher at AgroecoliveLab, shows that increasing the proportion of organic farming can contribute to healthier and more diverse soils.

The research analysed 179 agricultural landscapes with different shares of organic farming and found that areas with a higher presence of organic agriculture host richer and more diverse soil communities. These biological communities play a key role in maintaining soil functions such as nutrient cycling, soil structure and ecosystem resilience.

The results highlight the importance of promoting farming systems that enhance soil biodiversity and ecosystem services. Expanding organic farming within agricultural landscapes could therefore be an effective strategy to improve soil health and support more sustainable food production systems.

AgroecoliveLab has signed the Mission Soil Manifesto of the European Union, reinforcing its commitment to protecting and improving the health of agricultural soils, especially those of Andalusian olive groves. We invite all stakeholders involved in soil health to join this initiative and actively contribute to the mission:
https://mission-soil-platform.ec.europa.eu/

AgroecoliveLab considers Vocational Education and Training (VET) a practical and excellent pathway for preparing highly qualified professionals capable of responding to the labour market needs of the agri-food sector.

Within this framework, we have recently applied to the Erasmus+ KA220-VET call for cooperation projects in vocational education, together with partners from Portugal, Italy and Greece. The initiative aims to contribute to the modernisation of the European VET curriculum related to the olive grove and olive oil sector.

In line with this strategic commitment to vocational education, the AgroecoliveLab laboratory has welcomed three internship students this week from the Higher Vocational Training Programme in Clinical and Biomedical Laboratory at the CDP IFP Aventura (MEDAC) training centre.

Students Lourdes Montiel, María del Carmen Pérez and Ariana Zambrano will carry out their internship period in the laboratory facilities, where they will participate in various experimental support tasks and contribute to the team’s daily technical work.

The training placement is supervised by AgroecoliveLab researcher Victoria Ochoa, who will guide the students throughout their learning process in the laboratory environment.

Through initiatives like this, AgroecoliveLab aims to strengthen collaboration with vocational training centres and provide students with direct contact with real research and technical work environments, contributing to the training of the next generation of professionals in the sector.

Researchers from AgroecoliveLab actively participated in the programme of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, organised by the University of Jaén and held on February 17, 2026. The initiative included a wide range of workshops and science outreach activities aimed at students from different educational levels.

During the workshop “Why Is Soil ‘Happier’ When It Has Plants and Earthworms?”, we explained to students from CEIP San Marcos (Garciez) the importance of vegetation cover in protecting soil from erosion, improving its structure, and enhancing biodiversity. We also explored the fundamental role of earthworms — true soil engineers — in improving soil fertility and recycling nutrients through composting processes.

It was an enriching experience that demonstrates how fostering scientific curiosity from an early age is key to building a more sustainable future.

Students from the Master’s Degree in Agroecology: A Sustainable Transformation Approach to Agri-Food Systems at the Universidad Internacional de Andalucía (UNIA) recently took part in a field visit aimed at strengthening their practical understanding of agroecological principles applied to olive production systems.

The visit was led by Roberto García, Principal Investigator of AgroecoliveLab and Professor at the University of Jaén, and included a tour of an organic olive grove located between Pegalajar and Mancha Real (Jaén), as well as a local olive oil mill. During the activity, students were able to engage directly with the farm owner and discuss key aspects such as nutrient inputs, energy flows and biodiversity-based management practices, including the use of livestock for weed control and soil fertilisation.

Participants were also introduced to the “Olivares Vivos” programme, an enhanced sustainability certification that integrates biodiversity conservation criteria alongside organic production standards. This hands-on experience allowed students to connect theoretical concepts — such as agroecosystem structure, nutrient cycling and ecological management — with real-world practices.

The field visit forms part of the master’s educational approach, which combines academic training with practical experiences to prepare future researchers and professionals committed to the development of sustainable agroecological systems.