The avocado has become a world-famous food. It is being included in many different recipes. It is Kenya’s leading fruit export.
Avocado farming is a form of sustainable agriculture. It is helping Kenyan farmers produce more food while conserving the environment.
Organic Farming in Kenya
Many avocado farmers in Kenya use organic manure instead of chemical fertilizers. This improves the organic matter in the soil in order to grow healthy avocados. These avocados can resist pests and diseases and are healthy for those who eat them.
Positive Environmental Impact of Growing Avocados in Kenya
- Avocado farming has increased the tree cover in Kenya.
- Avocado trees can be planted with other crops such as beans or vegetables on the same plot of land. This helps farmers to grow more crops using less land while conserving the environment.
- Planting avocado alongside bees for pollination promotes biodiversity.
- Since avocados can be intercropped, this reduces the need of using pesticides.
- Avocado trees enhance nutrient cycling. This is because they have deep roots that can draw nutrients from below the soil and bring them to the top.
- The decomposed leaves of the avocado trees improve the health of the soil when they rot. This also reduces the need for nitrogen fertilizers.
- Avocado trees also create microclimates through capturing moisture and storing carbon dioxide.
- Large avocado orchards produce a thick layer of fallen dried leaves and chippings. This helps retain water in the soil through mulching and protecting it from evaporation.
- Avocado trees minimize human-wildlife conflict in areas where wild animals raid farms in search of food. Avocados act as a buffer for other crops as they provide food for wild animals.
- Older avocado trees make good building posts, charcoal and firewood. Branches from older trees are pruned and used for firewood.
Avocado Water Consumption in Kenya
Since avocados are a water-intensive crop, growing them in an environmentally friendly way is important. Many large scale avocado growers in Kenya have invested in rainwater harvesting to irrigate their orchards. They have built earth dams to harness rainwater.
Ways to Reduce Negative Impact of Avocados on the Environment in Kenya
The increase in avocado production in Kenya has had negative impacts on local food security. The booming global demand for avocados is causing prices to rise. It has become difficult for local communities to buy a food that is grown in their own region. Here are some ways to reduce the negative impact of avocados on the environment in Kenya:
- Fresh avocados that don’t meet export standards are sold in the domestic market.
- Fresh avocados can be used to produce avocado oil.
- The avocado skins and stones are used in the making of green waste and are turned into compost. Compost is an organic fertilizer.
- The pulp and the water which is extracted from avocado oil can be spread over the pasture for dairy cows.
- Avocado waste can be used in the production of biogas.
- Avocados can be packaged in recyclable material such as carton boxes
- Proper handling of avocados during harvesting, transportation and packing reduces avocado waste.
- Buying avocados in season is important because buying them out of season increases the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from transportation.
As consumers of the delicious and nutritious avocado, we need to be aware of the environmental impact of our food. Here are some solutions to reducing avocado’s environmental impact in Kenya:
- To demand as consumers an international certification of sustainable farming and fair trade for the avocados sold in supermarkets and green groceries. This is to ensure they are not the product of deforestation.
- Trade agreements related to export of avocados from Kenya to other countries need to include the environmental impact in their clauses.