By Eric Reguly

On a warm Saturday morning in late October, the silver-green leaves of the 200 productive olive trees on a country estate in Umbria, in central Italy, sparkled in the bright sun. Fausto Venturi, a local farmer who dedicates the autumn weekends to the production of olive oil, could not have been happier. The weather was perfect for harvesting Moraiolo olives. The small green round fruit is native to Umbria and Tuscany, appreciated by olive growers for its high yield and among connoisseurs for the wonderful emerald green color and the fruity aroma of the oil, with hints of artichokes and herbs. Better yet, the trees were almost in full bloom, signaling a rare exceptional harvest. Climate change, insect infestation and disease, in particular the horrible Xylella fastidiosa bacterium that is killing millions of olive trees in southern Italy, in recent years has made life difficult and miserable - depending on the region - for crucial olive oil industry in Italy. The European Commission's website defines Xylella as "one of the most dangerous plant bacteria in the world, causing a variety of diseases, with a huge economic impact on agriculture, public gardens and the environment". It can also attack stone fruits such as cherries, almonds and plums. The bacterium terrorizes the owners of olive groves in Puglia, in the heel of the Italian boot. Puglia and Calabria - the tip - represent over two thirds of Italian olive oil production (Umbria supplies only 2%). If these two regions were wiped out, the huge industry - supplied by some 250 million trees in 700,000 olive groves covering 1.1 million hectares - would be moribund. This scenario is not out of the question. The bacterium arrived in southern Puglia, near the baroque city of Lecce, in 2013. It is believed that the source is an infected ornamental coffee plant imported from Costa Rica. It acted like a demolition machine, infecting about 21 million trees , according to Coldiretti, the Italian agricultural association. Go to the deepening---->> https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-italys-olive-oil-industry-sees-simmering-threats-from-climate-change/