Changing times for olive groves: The impact of climate change on olive cultivation in Jordan

(MENAFN- Jordan Times) More than 80,000 families in Jordan work in olive cultivation Self-sufficiency rate of olive production to decline to 55% by 2050, says study AMMAN - On his farm in Irbid in northern Jordan, Barakat Omari gazes out upon his olive grove, a legacy passed down from his father. However, his countenance is marked not by tranquillity, but by concern. The grove's 400 olive trees, some with roots reaching deep into the past century, no longer produce as they once did. The culprit? A subtle but relentless adversary: climate change.Omari's farm was once buzzing with activity, with trucks filled to the brim with olives rumbling across his father's land. That was 20, 30 years ago. Now, the trucks are scarce, and his bounty has dwindled to less than a third of previous harvests. From a robust 400 kilogrammes of olive oil annually, he now extracts a mere 90 kilogrammes from the very same trees.At 68, Omari has dedicated over four decades of his life to the art ...