Assessing the sustainability factors of traditional olive groves on Lesvos Island, Greece (Sustainability and traditional cultivation) Christina Giourga Æ Angeliki Loumou Æ Iris Tsevreni Æ Assimina Vergou Published online: 7 August 2008 Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2008 Abstract In Europe the process of agricultural engagement or disengagement is attributed to the economic factor and mainly on the level of alternative employment source development. It is the relational quality of economic, social and environmental factors that determine sustainability of agricultural holdings and, hence, households. In regions of poor agricultural structures and of many employment opportunities as well as in regions suffering from agricultural depres- sion, households exhibit stronger tendencies towards agricultural disengagement. Remarkably in southern Europe a stable agricultural engagement and not disengagement is observed, even though in recent years there are limited possibilities of alternative income sources and prevailing agricultural depres- sion. This article highlights the factors which lead households to stable engagement with agriculture in a region of southern Europe, the island of Lesvos. The island is characterised by traditional olive grove mono-culture, poor agricultural structures and limited employment opportunities. The investigation of the economic, social and environmental farm household characteristics concluded that in regions where poor agricultural infrastructure and lack of employment prevail, all three factors of sustainability contribute to stability and/or low agricultural disengagement. Among these, the economic factor is the most sensitive and hence highly influential. The social factor is highlighted as a quality and consistent factor due to the respect for tradition. The environmental factor, finally, is characterised by mild cultivation practices, contributing to environment conservation. Keywords Agricultural pluriactivity Á Lesvos Island Á Olive groves Á Rural development Á Sustainable agriculture Á Traditional cultivation Á Poor agricultural structures Introduction The manner by which farm households deploy available land, use employment opportunities and their capital as well as how this manner is related to alternative sources of income and activities—a pro- cess called engagement/disengagement—has been the object of investigations in several regions in Europe. These investigations disclose that in areas character- ised by poor agricultural structures and strong labour C. Giourga Á I. Tsevreni Á A. Vergou Department of Environment, University of Aegean, University Hill, 81100 Mytilene, Greece e-mail: hgio@aegean.gr A. Loumou (&) Department of Agricultural Technology Product, Technological Education Institute of Kalamata, Antikalamos, 24100 Kalamata, Greece e-mail: alou@aegean.gr 123 GeoJournal (2008) 73:149–159 DOI 10.1007/s10708-008-9195-z