2024

“Finola” Cannabis Cultivation for Cannabinoids Production in Thessaloniki-Greece
Cannabis has garnered a great deal of new attention in the past couple of years due to the increasing hopes of its legalization for recreational…
Soil Degradation in the Mediterranean Region: Drivers and Future Trends
Soil sustains life and provides ecosystem services relevant for the environment, society, and the economy. However, soil is a finite resource and is vulnerable to…
Sustainable and Low-Input Techniques in Mediterranean Greenhouse Vegetable Production
In the modern agricultural landscape, numerous challenges, such as climate change, diminishing arable lands, and the reduction of water resources, represent significant threats. The Mediterranean…
Influence of cover crops and tillage on organic carbon loss in Mediterranean olive orchards
Olive (Olea europaea L.) is one of the main crops in the Mediterranean area, with Spain leading its production. The majority of the plantations are…
Does biodiversity affect Olive fly populations? Evidence from different understorey treatments
The agricultural industry is intensifying production methods to increase crop yields. Olive cultivation, the prevalent permanent crop in Europe and the Mediterranean area, involves intense…
Does synchronization of biennial bearing in olive production exist?: Evidence from the Mediterranean countries
Since the time of ancient civilizations, the synchronization of alternate (or biennial) bearing of olive has been a well-known phenomenon in the Mediterranean region. The…
Effect of olive grove’s understorey management on arthropod diversity
The agricultural sector has been intensifying production systems to increase yields. Olive cultivation is the most widespread permanent crop in Europe and the Mediterranean region…
Climate Change Risks for the Mediterranean Agri-Food Sector: The Case of Greece
The study assesses the direct effects of climate change by 2060, including extreme events, on the productivity of regional crop farming and livestock in Greece,…
Optimizing Agroecological Measures for Climate-Resilient Olive Farming in the Mediterranean
In order to evaluate the potential of climate change mitigation measures on soil physiochemical properties, an experiment based on the application of five agroecological practices…
In the Greek Countryside: Towards Modernization, Specialization, or Abandonment?
The Greek rural world, marked by the dominance of small private ownership, developed its agricultural activities in lowland regions. Livestock farming, once present in mountain…
Multi-Year Insights into Industrial Hemp Growth in a Mediterranean Climate
Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is a rapidly growing plant with multipurpose uses, and the optimal combination of yield and quality of hemp products (fibers, inflorescences,…
Responses to drought of two Mediterranean ring-porous, deciduous species: Searching for climate smart trees and shrubs
Drought-tolerant tree species with high growth rates and a good capacity for carbon storage in woody tissues (dense wood) are searched for due to aridification….

2023

A critical assessment of conservation agriculture among smallholders in the Mediterranean region: adoption pathways inspired by agroecological principles
Conservation agriculture (CA) is the key agricultural soil management approach for Mediterranean rainfed systems facing extreme droughts and soil degradation. Yet, CA uptake and applicability…
Impacts of a hydroinfiltrator rainwater harvesting system on soil moisture regime and groundwater distribution for olive groves in semi-arid Mediterranean regions
Dry periods in semi-arid regions constitute one of the greatest hazardous features that agriculture faces. This study investigates the effects of using a new device…
Risk, Vulnerability, and Resilience in Agriculture and Their Impact on Sustainable Rural Economy Development: A Case Study of Greece
Promoting rural development is essential for the general economic transformation of people, hence requiring great attention from different government systems. This study assessed the risk,…
Different responses to mega-trends in less favorable farming systems. Continuation and abandonment of farming land on the islands of Lesvos and Lemnos, Greece.
Farming systems in marginal or less favored areas of Europe have faced a multitude of challenges as a response to so-called “mega-trends”. A typical response…
An Integrated Assessment of the Impact of Agrobiodiversity on the Economy of the Euro-Mediterranean Region
In the past decades, agricultural landscapes have simplified with crop specialization and the reduction of seminatural covers leading to a decline of biodiversity and (biodiversity-driven)…
Impact of Climate Change on the Primary Agricultural Sector of Greece: Adaptation Policies and Measures
The wide acceptance that Climate Change (CC) is a reality, often taking extreme forms, has led to the development of strategies to mitigate climate change…
Developing perennial wildflower strips for use in Mediterranean orchard systems
To support sustainable food production and the delivery of ecosystem services through ecological intensification, wildflower strips have become a popular strategy. Despite their success in…

2022

Effect of Different Cover Crops, Mass-Trapping Systems and Environmental Factors on Invertebrate Activity in Table Olive Orchards-Results from Field Experiments in Crete, Greece
Although the negative effects of insecticides and herbicides on beneficial and non-target invertebrates are well documented, there is limited information on potential negative impacts of…
Plant diversity of olive groves under different management practices: a case study on Lesbos Island (East Aegean area, Greece)
The Mediterranean Basin is evolving due to human – nature interactions. The management of agroecosystems strongly affects plant diversity. Olive groves cover 19% of the…

older articles

Confidence and loyalty for agrotourism brands: The Lesvos paradigm
It has been established that strong brands are important in the agrotourism industry. Agrotourism brands provide the link between visitors and the agrotourism firms and…
Land change in eastern Mediterranean wood-pasture landscapes: the case of deciduous oak woodlands in Lesvos (Greece)
In Mediterranean Europe, wood-pasture landscapes with oak woodlands as emblematic ecosystems are undergoing rapid land-use change, which may threaten their … >>> Schaich, H., Kizos,…
Ground cover management with mixtures of flowering plants to enhance insect pollinators and natural enemies of pests in olive groves
The potential of ground cover management with mixtures of selected plants to provide habitats for pollinating insects and natural enemies of pests in an olive…
Sustainable local development on Aegean Islands: a meta-analysis of the literature
Sustainable local development is central to debates on socioeconomic and environmental change. Although the meaning of sustainable local development is disputed, the concept is frequently…
Perspectives of farmers and tourists on agricultural abandonment in East Lesvos, Greece
Multi-stakeholder perceptions of landscape changes are increasingly recognized as essential inputs to discussions on future landscape developments, particularly when addressing the future of European rural…
Diversity of agricultural plants on Lesvos Island (Northeast Aegean, Greece) with emphasis on fruit trees
Historical evidence concerning the island of Lesvos has revealed the cultivation of cereals, olive trees, vines, figs and vegetables. Although the island’s agricultural economy has…
Grazing land management and sheep farm viability in semi—arid areas: Evidence from Western Lesvos, Greece
In semi-arid areas of the Mediterranean basin, sheep and goat herding has been a land management activity for millennia. In the last decades, intensification of…
Multifunctionality of farm households in Greece
Multifunctionality is today a keyword to understand rural areas in Europe. Depending on the context, it may refer to farm households, areas, or the agricultural…
Assessing the sustainability factors of traditional olive groves on Lesvos Island, Greece (Sustainability and traditional cultivation)
In Europe the process of agricultural engagement or disengagement is attributed to the economic factor and mainly on the level of alternative employment source development….