Over 90 % of the world’s olive oil and table olive production is concentrated in the Mediterranean basin. Spain is the largest producer, with approximately 45 % of the global olive oil supply from 2.64 million hectares of olive groves, 1.65 M ha of which are in Andalusia. The olive sector is a pillar of the Andalusian economy, with enormous social, cultural, and environmental value, and plays an essential role in the region’s territorial vertebration. Olive groves are an integral part of Andalusia’s history, combining thousands of years of tradition with constant innovation and adaptation that has led to the modernisation of the sector and transformation of its products.

The Master in Olive Growing and Oil Technology was born in the 90s in response to a need to provide top-level specialist training for professionals in the olive sector. Córdoba boasts a number of long-standing teaching and research institutions, such as the University of Cordoba (UCO); the Instituto Andaluz de Investigación y Formación Agraria, Pesquera, Alimentaria y de la Producción Ecológica (IFAPA) at Alameda del Obispo; and the Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible of the Spanish National Research Council (IAS-CSIC) near Seville and Jaén –home of other prestigious institutions specialising in the subject such as the Instituto de la Grasa (IG-CSIC), the Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS-CSIC) also belonging to the Spanish National Research Council; and the IFAPA centre at Venta del Llano (formerly the Olive Growing and Oil Technology Station) in Mengíbar, Jaén. The geographical proximity of these institutions makes this an ideal location for an international programme on olive cultivation and olive oil and table olive processing, co-organised with the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM), the International Olive Council (COI), and the Fundación Patrimonio Comunal Olivarero.