The Slow Fund: Reforesting Salento with Olivami

The Slow Fund is proud to partner with <a href="https://www.olivami.com/en/corporate-gardens/butterfield-robinson/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">OlivaMi</a> to support their vision and reforest the landscape of Salento, Puglia, a region our travellers have been experiencing for over a decade.In Italy's heel, olive trees are the landscape, the cultural heritage, the economy; they are the symbolic heart of Puglia. The trees have been part of the Adriatic coast for thousands of years and some families trace their ancestral roots along with the ancient, gnarled groves.&nbsp;Everywhere you visit in Puglia, winding routes lead through lands of ulivi monumentali — centuries-old olive trees that you instinctively want to hug. The oil produced is&nbsp;amongst the most sublime in the world.Puglia produces nearly half of Italy’s olive oil but in the last decade, this cultural heritage has been decimated by the bacteria Xylella fastidiosa, destroying over 21 million olive trees in Salento alone, a significant amount even for a region so dedicated to this argricultural practice. Salento has been at the heart of olive oil production for centuries, and has been the source of income and purpose for generations of farmers. Because of the Xylella problem, sadly around 5,000 growers no longer have workable groves.

Out of this devastation, a beautiful opportunity to reimagine and reforest the Salento countryside has been born through OlivaMi. OlivaMi is a nonprofit association run by a diverse group of young locals, united in their focused passion: to restore the olive groves, revive their cultural heritage, secure their economic future, combat climate change and cultivate new biodiversity through introducing Xylella-resistant olive species as well as other species of tree along a grove’s perimeters.

Through a donation in the fall of 2023, 160 new olive trees were planted and 40 established trees adopted. The new varietals include Leccino and Favolosa olive trees. Butterfield &amp; Robinson is committed to helping Puglia and the olive trees and will continue to evaluate ways to support Olivami and their efforts.On our <a href="https://butterfield.com/destination/europe/italy/puglia" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Puglia trips</a>, we visit what will grow into a B&amp;R sponsored olive grove. Every traveller booked in the region contributes to the project to ensure the expansion of the restoration efforts.

The Slow Fund: Reforesting Salento with Olivami

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