Most traditional olive-producing countries possess a diversified genetic patrimony in Olea europaea L. Since the emergence of modern olive growing system, the identification, classification, and conservation of autochthonous olive cultivars is a priority for these countries. In this work, a total of 84 accessions belonging to the “Boughrara”-Sfax olive germplasm collection located in Tunisia have been screened using a powerful set of eight simple sequence repeat markers (SSRs). The study revealed a high genetic variability among the collection and detected a total of 64 alleles. For better management of the mentioned germplasm bank, an improved classification of the entries, including new denominations, has been proposed. In addition, several cases of mislabeling, synonymy, and homonymy have been clarified. Genetic relationships among cultivars have been analyzed showing four major clusters. Finally, a correspondence factor analysis demonstrated that cultivars tend to cluster depending on their main use as oil or table olives. No clear clustering tendencies were observed when the geographical origin of cultivars was used as the criteria for the analysis. All results obtained by SSR screening and classification were in accordance with classification based on morphological traits of fruit endocarps.

Olive is one of the oldest cultivated species in the Mediterranean Basin, including Tunisia, where it has a wide diversity, with more than 200 cultivars, of both wild and feral forms. Many minor cultivars are still present in marginal areas of Tunisia, where they are maintained by farmers in small local groves, but they are poorly characterized and evaluated. In order to recover this neglected germplasm, surveys were conducted in different areas, and 31 genotypes were collected, molecularly characterized with 12 nuclear microsatellite (simple sequence repeat (SSR)) markers, and compared with 26 reference cultivars present in the Tunisian National Olive collection. The analysis revealed an overall high genetic diversity of this olive’s germplasm, but also discovered the presence of synonymies and homonymies among the commercialized varieties. The structure analysis showed the presence of different gene pools in the analyzed germplasm. In particular, the marginal germplasm from Ras Jbal and Azmour is characterized by gene pools not present in commercial (Nurseries) varieties, pointing out the very narrow genetic base of the commercialized olive material in Tunisia, and the need to broaden it to avoid the risk of genetic erosion of this species in this country.

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In a globalized scenario characterized by cogent challenges, sustainable development represents a fundamental objective, according to the agenda of policymakers. This is particularly true with regard to farming, and those agricultural systems that are fully consistent with sustainability in society (health, employment), environment (methane emission, water resource and so on), and economy (source of wealth). Tunisia is one of the world’s top olive oil-producing countries. It is also the country with the largest certified organic olive-producing areas in the world. Moreover, a larger volume of Tunisian olive oil is produced using nearly organic practices, without actually being certified. Given the growing demand for certified products, Tunisia should strengthen its market position by building on its reputation for sustainable farming, through the promotion and the creation of new geographic indications for EVOO. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the impact of GIs and how such kinds of labeling can be more effective, operational, and sustainable, to support the country’s development strategy in this sector. Through an ad hoc quanti-qualitative analysis of Tunisian olive oil value chain, representative of the natural resources, the deep understanding of cultures and traditions of the country, a comprehensive and precise SWOT analysis carried out on the Tunisian olive sector has been performed. This study bears significance as it depicts a specific roadmap that should allow a better application and extension of GI’s initiatives referring to the three pillars of Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, and by building on the position of Tunisia as an organic origin focusing on five strategic lines: organizational and institutional framework; capacity building improvement; communication and networking roles; the role of TIC and the emergence of new opportunities; financial and support products availability. The final outcome should also aim to shorten the distances between all stakeholders to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda in the Mediterranean basin, by removing behavioral and institutional barriers that inhibit the transformations needed to achieve more sustainable economies and societies, by means of a cross-disciplinary dialogue around olive oil chain sustainability and narrowing the gap between research and policymakers.