To till or not to till, the pistachio field?

Written by Antonios Apostolakis

Walking around Aegina island in the Saronic gulf, I observed several pistachio groves. More than half were ploughed, with no understory vegetation and exposed soils. Soil ploughing is deeply rooted in the agricultural tradition of the Mediterranean region, even in orchards where plough-benefits are limited. 

Similar is the situation for olive groves in the island of Crete. I count convincing my own family to quit ploughing some eight years ago as a personal success. But changing people's minds is challenging especially when facing arguments based on tradition. 
Neither should tradition be generally demonized. Here is my father offering my brother mandarins from his, now greener, olive grove. It is tradition in the island of Crete to grow mandarin, pear, fig or other fruit or nut trees at the edges of olive grove to treat those who pass by. 

My father, Manolis, offering mandarins to my brother, Sifis, from the mandarin trees at the edge of our olive grove in Rethimno, Crete. © Antonios Apostolakis