The increasing demand for olive oil worldwide is revitalizing rural areas in North Africa, where olive oil has been a traditional product for centuries. However, local producers are struggling with challenges such as drought, outdated production methods, and inadequate marketing as more countries enter the olive oil market. Tunisia and Morocco, lacking significant energy reserves like their OPEC-member neighbors Algeria and Libya, see olive oil as a valuable alternative export due to their dry, hot climates. The majority of the world's olive trees are found in the Mediterranean region, with Spain leading the industry from its stronghold in Martos, followed by Italy and Greece. After making significant investments in modern machinery, the quality of Tunisian olive oil has improved to the point where it is now fetching prices similar to those of Spanish olive oil, according to industry officials. Efforts by North Africa to close the gap in quality have been well-received by European producers who are struggling to keep up with the global demand for olive oil as middle-class populations in countries like Brazil and Russia develop a taste for it. Despite being more costly than other cooking oils, olive oil is preferred for its higher levels of healthy mono-unsaturated fat and polyphenols. Tunisians, regardless of their economic status, have developed their expertise in olive oil production over many centuries, using it not only in cooking but also in medicines, beauty products, soaps, and as a moisturizer. Hamed, a 90-year-old Tunisian man, credits his good health to drinking a glass of olive oil every morning, while his wife uses it in every meal they prepare. More than half a million families in Tunisia depend on the olive oil industry, which is supported by 56 million olive trees spread across 1.6 million hectares of land. The olive harvest, which takes place from November to February, plays a significant role in the rural calendar, prompting many Tunisians to return to their hometowns to participate in gathering the crop. Women can be heard singing traditional songs and trading jokes while collecting the olives that have fallen to the ground. "My entire family benefits from a successful olive harvest, like the one we are having this year," said Haj Smida, a farmer from el-Jem in eastern Tunisia. Salem Rhaim, a 68-year-old olive oil producer, had to postpone his son's wedding due to a poor harvest last year. Rhaim expressed optimism about the upcoming harvest and mentioned the expensive wedding preparations that he will be able to afford if the harvest is successful. Despite having local expertise, Tunisian producers struggle to sell their good-quality oil at export prices due to technological limitations. Some producers are accused of entering the olive oil market solely for tax benefits, resulting in poor-quality products that damage the industry's reputation. Abdelmajid Mahjoub, the owner of an old olive press in Tbourba, highlighted the issue of inadequate packaging hindering export opportunities. He stated that more effort is needed in order for their products to be able to compete with those from Spain, Greece, and Italy. In Morocco, the government is providing financial incentives to expand olive cultivation to 1 million hectares by 2010, up from just 1,000 hectares in 1999. Some of the production will be used to meet local demand in a country that imports 300,000 tonnes of vegetable oils annually. Mohamed, who is 42 years old and resides in Ain Balidan on the outskirts of the Rif mountains in northern Morocco, currently grows just enough olives for his family. He has recently planted numerous additional trees provided by the government. He expressed a desire to have more land for planting olive trees, as prices have been increasing. In Morocco, olive trees represent hope for many facing drought or desertification, and could serve as a legal alternative to growing cannabis. The climate in Morocco has changed in the past decade, prompting a search for plants that can help preserve nature. Morocco, along with Algeria, needs to update their technology, which has remained largely unchanged since ancient times. Some olive oil presses still use traditional methods involving a donkey walking in circles to crush olives. Jose Ramon Diez, an olive expert at the Spanish farm union ASAJA in Madrid, stated that the world market has great potential for growth as olive oil currently only makes up 2.8 percent of the fat consumed. Last year, Spain's olive harvest declined, leading some farmers in northern Morocco to report that Spanish traders had approached them to purchase olives. Italy, the second-largest olive oil producer, purchases some oil for re-export labeled as "Imported From Italy" and has been assisting the Tunisian industry in updating its machinery. Italian oil buyers express a desire for more consistent quality standards from North African producers and frustration with having to go through intermediaries instead of contacting them directly. Mauro Miloni, who heads the economic observatory of Italian olive oil industry group Unaprol, stated that having more exports from North Africa would help to counterbalance the dominance of Spain in the market. He emphasized the importance of being able to purchase olive oil from various sources and predicted that with the liberalization of trade in the future, there could be even stronger ties with North African producers.