93 Virgin Olive Oil Benefits 6.3. Olive oil in Spain From an agricultural point of view, olive tree cultivars are a major economic factor for Spain. More than 22% of all worldwide olive tree cultivars are in this country and they produce, depending on the campaign, around 40%-50% of all worldwide olive oil. During 2019/2020 production was 1125000 tonnes, with a market value greater than 4000 million euros. Approximately 62% of Spanish olive oil is exported. Besides the economic relevance of the olive oil industry, key social, environmental, and territorial repercussions should be considered. More than 350000 farmers and 15000 industrial employees are involved, generating 50 million euros in wages. In addition to the olive tree cultivar per se, the transformation and distribution of its products, including by-products, are the main social and economic activity in numerous municipalities. Indeed, the associated industry represents the cohesive backbone of many rural communities supported by grassroot cooperative movements. The environmental impact of olive groves plays a key role with regard to biodiversity, carbon sequestration, soil conservation, and agricultural landscapes. The ecological olive cultivar in Spain increased by 4.6% in 2019 reaching 209288 hectares. In fact, one of the main ecological cultivars in Spain is the olive tree, the mountain olive tree in particular is in considerable demand due its maintenance and the viability of the rural terrain in which it is found. From the perspective of territory, in numerous Spanish areas olive tree cultivation and olive oil production constitute an agri-food value chain which can determine social organization, territorial development, and natural resource management. According to Gallardo-Cobos and Sánchez-Zamora (2017), from a territorial focus, strategies are being developed in the olive sector, in addition to olive oil production and marketing, to augment the added-value and social benefit of the olive cultivar by generating new associated products and services. Such a concept has been defined as a “concentric diversification” strategy: biomass, food industry, cosmetic and pharmaceutical products, oleotourism, and gastronomy. In recent years these emerging activities have generated new added value. In this regard, the rise in the use of olive oil in canning processes, and in the meat, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries is closely related to the recognition of its benefits for health. Currently, consumers are increasingly aware of the relationship between nutrition and health. Due to this, both olive oil consumption and its use in the food industry have increased. It should be noted that the present-day expanding presence of olive oil in cosmetics dates back to the origin of the olive cultivars.
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