Gaia Foundation visit

Last week we were able to visit the Gaia Foundation in the stunning location of Ghain Tuffieha on the island of Malta. The Foundation was set up in 1994 as an NGO in the voluntary sector in Malta and is supported by the European Union and Maltese Government, it was also a founding member of the national association of NGO'S in Malta.

The Foundation is in a beautiful setting overlooking Golden Bay and it also has several olive groves in a separate area further up toward Ghain Tuffieha which is where I met Rudolph with a group of students, he was the founder of Gaia and still very much involved in the project.

I have visited Gaia several times over the past five year while in Malta and Olivaverde will now be working with them to host a dedicated olive oil event in July 2019. This event will involve local Maltese olive oil producers as well as oil producers and specialist agronomists from both mainland Italy and Sicily.

Project Gaia seeks to incorporate a number of projects within an integrated approach of coastal management, while at the same time establishing a prototype for a more sustainable society. The ethos and aims of the Gaia project are also very important to all of us at Olivaverde and we are very pleased to be involved in a small way with this excellent organisation.

The centre of all the Gaia project operations are situated inside Malta’s environment visitor centre, which was set up by the Foundation, it includes a tree nursery equipped with a green house which is specialised on the propagation of endemic and indigenous Maltese plants, an organic shop, conference facilities and an administration centre.

Gaia is also trying to reduce the impact of global climate change by encouraging more woodland and olive and almond tree cover on agricultural land, to protect biodiversity and restore the natural habit in Malta.

It was good to be present as Rudolph was telling the students about the centre and also focusing on olive tree propagation and upkeep of the trees in the olive grove and several of us at Olivaverde will be visiting the centre again in May.