Agriculture in Greece

Modern history

19th century

In the 19th century, Greek agriculture was very basic. Implements found in western Europe had not yet appeared. The following description was reported by William Henry Moffett, American Consul in Athens and was published in the American periodical Garden and Forest (Volume 2, Issue 95, 18 December 1889, p. 612: published by Garden and Forest Publishing Co., Tribune Building, New York, N.Y.):

William H. Moffett, United States Consul at Athens, reports the impossibility of making any official statement as to the agriculture of Greece, because "agriculture is here in the most undeveloped condition. Even in the immediate neighborhood of Athens it is common to find the wooden plow and the rude mattock which were in use 2,000 years ago. Fields are plowed up or scratched over, and crops replanted season after season, until the exhausted soil will bear no more. Fertilizers are not used to any appreciable extent, and the farm implements are of the very rudest description. Irrigation is in use in some districts, and, as far as I can ascertain, the methods in use can be readily learned by a study of the practices of the ancient Egyptians. Greece has olives and grapes in abundance, and of quality not excelled; but Greek olive oil and Greek wine will not bear transportation."

The above statements and views by the U.S. Consul certainly do not represent a complete, scientific evaluation of the state of Greek agriculture at the time, especially on a comparative level with other countries. An indirect measure of the relative productivity in the country is provided by the fact that in the mid-19th century, the average Greek had about two-thirds of the purchasing power of the average French.

Modernization of agriculture was rapid in European countries during the 19th century, with more advanced equipment replacing traditional methods, and Greece was no exception. In Greece, this was particularly connected with the expansion of manufacture (mainly in the city of Volos) and usage of more complex metal agricultural implements and other equipment.

20th century

Greek agricultural production was vastly expanded in the 20th century, as per the information given elsewhere on this page. In particular grain production (wheat, barley, etc.) has been significantly increased using more modern farming methods. Much of the research on soil classification, fertiliser use, and dissemination of improved agricultural practice was carried out starting from 1938 in the Kanellopoulos Institute of Chemistry and Agriculture.

The main varieties of domestic wheat produced in Greece during 2002 were FLAVIO, VAVAROS and MEXA.

In 2020 Greece had 530,679 farms, a 26,6% decrease from 2009 when it had 723,006 farms. 12,588 of those were certified organic or under conversion, a decrease of 23,5% from 2009 when organic farms amounted to 16,448, but at the same time the number of hectares certified as organic increased by 19,3% from 130.828 hectares in 2009 to 156.058 hectares in 2020.

Notable products

Notable products include:

• Avgotaracho of Messolonghi
• Zante currant
• Greek wine
• Fava Santorinis
• Firiki Piliou
• Santorini tomato
• Krokos Kozanis (saffron)
• Menalou honey
• Florina pepper
• Rodi Ermionis
• Mastic (plant resin) of Chios
• Tobacco production (region of Macedonia)
• Tropical fruits (such as bananas and avocados) in Crete
• Carob

Olive cultivars/varieties

• Note: The below list is not considered exhaustive.