Olive growing is a key sector of Algerian agriculture, representing 47% of the country’s tree-growing potential. It has expanded significantly, making Algeria the world’s ninth largest producer of olive oil. The M’Chedallah region in Kabylie is particularly important, with 89.5% of its tree-growing potential dedicated to olive trees and production deeply rooted in the local identity. However, the local olive oil sector is facing a crisis due to a traditional system that is not very competitive, characterised by old orchards, poor maintenance, manual harvesting, fragmented land and the predominance of family farms. These factors, particularly unsuitable harvesting and storage techniques, often result in olive oil quality that falls below international standards (lampante or ordinary virgin), despite the potential for extra virgin olive oil with the right technical approach. The study aims to identify priority levers for action for a sustainable development strategy. It used a participatory approach and a rigorous methodology combining SWOT, AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) and TOWS based on surveys of 146 olive growers and 28 olive oilproducers, including 3 exporters. The analysis enabled the strategic factors to beranked. The study concludes that collective organisation is the fundamental lever for overcoming structural weaknesses and committing to the sustainable development of the olive oil sector in M’Chedallah.
