Desire for Greener Land

Human Environment
Mixed land per household (ha)
10,000
Implementation activities, inputs and costs
Establishment activities
Land user: Individual small-scale land users and
average land users, mainly men
Population density: 10-50 persons/km 2
Annual population growth: 1% - 2%
Land ownership: individual, titled
Land use rights: open access
Water use rights: communal (organised)
Relative level of wealth: average, which
represent 75%; 90% of the total land areas is
owned by average land users.
1. Removal of weeds if they interfere significantly with the
collection of the olive crop
Maintenance/recurrent activities
SLM Technology: Olive groves under no-tillage operations, Greece DESIRE – WOCAT 2012
Importance of off-farm income: less than 10%
of all income:
Access to service and infrastructure:
moderate: education, technical assistance, roads
& transport;
high: health, market, financial services
Market orientation: mixed (subsistence and
commercial)
Mechanization: mechanised
Livestock grazing on cropland: yes
Technical drawing
Establishment inputs and costs per ha
Olive groves occur widely throughout Crete
(Greece). One of the main cultivation
practices adopted recently is minimum or no
tillage. Under this land management practice,
weeds are allowed to grow, covering and
protecting the soil surface from raindrop
impact. The most widely distributed weed is
Oxalis pescaprae, a plant species that has
positive effects on soil and water
conservation. Oxalis grows during winter
improving water infiltration into the soil and
helping to prevent soil erosion. Owing to its
high sensitivity to drought, Oxalis reaches
wilting point during late spring due to a lack of
soil water in the upper soil layer. The plant is
indigenous to South Africa and highly
invasive. The plant has a reputation for being
very difficult to eradicate once it has become
established. Olive trees, planted close
together, partially prevent the growth of
understorey vegetation. In the Crete study
area, rows of olive trees are spaced at
intervals of 8 m and trees are planted 5 m
apart in the rows (C. Kosmas)
Inputs Costs (US$) % met by
land user
TOTAL 0 0
Maintenance/recurrent inputs and costs per ha per year
no maintenance Inputs Costs (US$) % met by
land user
Remarks:
No factors affect costs since Oxalis grows in the area under natural conditions
TOTAL 0 0
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