Green gold: Avocado farming on the rise in Africa

Published 2021년 5월 3일

Tridge summary

Avocado farming is becoming a significant way out of poverty for farmers in Uganda and Nigeria, with plans to become major exporters. The industry is seen as less environmentally harmful than large-scale commercial farming in Latin America due to the emphasis on smallholders and beneficial rain patterns in Africa. Smallholder farmers in Uganda, Nigeria, and Kenya are planting avocado trees, often in conjunction with other crops, and are not facing the water shortages associated with the crop in Chile due to their location in areas with beneficial rainfall. However, there are concerns about the amount of water needed to grow avocados and the potential impact of climate change on rain patterns in the future.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

In East Africa and Nigeria, avocado farmers want to enter the insatiable export market. Environmental concerns cast a shadow over the crop in other parts of the world. What will African farmers do differently? Baker Ssengendo’s vision for the future of Uganda starts with an avocado seedling. “The avocado tree has a lifespan of about 50 years. The life expectancy of an average Ugandan is about 60 years. A tree can benefit them their entire life,”. Ssengendo works on the 1,000 hectares (2,470 acres) of Musubi Farm in Nansana, central Uganda — the largest Hass avocado farm in the country. “By working in avocado farming, I am fulfilling my life dream. We want to lift our communities out of poverty.” Due to high global demand, the avocado has become a lucrative export product. Its consumption per capita increased by 406% between 1990 and 2017 in the US alone. The so-called green gold is rapidly gaining popularity on the African continent. Both Nigeria and Uganda aim to drastically ...

Source: Agrifocusafrica