In what is described — with admirable gravity — as a “critical juncture for the primary sector,” the Municipality of Viannos has issued an open invitation to all those involved in olive cultivation for a Strategic Discussion titled:
“The Present and Future of Olive Growing in the Municipality of Viannos: Challenges, Prospects and Common Strategy.”
If the olives could read, they would be sweating.
The meeting will take place — brace yourselves — Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. in the municipal hall because nothing says agricultural renaissance like fluorescent lighting and folding chairs.
The olive sector, we are reminded, is the “main pillar of economy, tradition and social cohesion.”
True.
But we are now entering the phase where the olive tree apparently requires:
- collective vision
- expanded strategic frameworks
- alignment between cooperatives and private stakeholders
- and possibly a motivational speech
Climate change, market fluctuations, and new quality requirements. The trilogy of doom.
And so, in response, we gather.
We gather to:
- Review the last two seasons (bad)
- Discuss water management (urgent)
- boost extroversion (inevitable)
- enhance added value (mandatory phrase)
- promote cooperative harmony (optimistic)
There will be an analysis and conclusions. Groundbreaking.
Olive production decreased. The local economy was affected. We must examine further moves. Further moves. One imagines olives nervously awaiting policy decisions. And for maximum transparency, the meeting will be livestreamed on YouTube. Because when facing drought, falling yields, and volatile global markets, what the sector truly needs is a comment section.
Do not misunderstand me. Yes, olive cultivation is serious. Yes, climate change is real. Yes, coordination matters. But the language. The grandiosity. The sense that Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. is the hinge upon which olive civilization turns. In Viannos, the olive tree has survived:
- invasions
- empires
- famine
- war
- political speeches
It will probably survive this meeting too.
But let us not underestimate the importance of “common strategy.”
After all, nothing strengthens a centuries-old tree quite like a municipal livestream and a shared vision document.
May the olives be aligned.
