Avocado industry development and extension

Abstract

The end of project outcome was to improve Australian avocado orchard productivity, fruit quality and profitability through the promotion of best practice. This outcome links to the 2017-2022 Avocado Strategic Investment Plan outcomes of:
• By 2021, productivity (marketable yield per hectare) has improved by 15% on average, without increased production costs per kilogram
• By 2021, over 90% of avocados received by consumers will meet or exceed their expectations of quality

The project’s key intermediate outcomes were:
• Promote adoption of best practice by growers, nurseries, consultants, advisors, and resellers
• Expand national and international networks

The project delivered a range of events and resources to help the avocado industry access, understand and implement best practice information. A total of 2,450 industry stakeholders attended project events, with an average of 62% of the evaluated attendees (1,167) intending to make changes to their businesses as a result of participating.

National and international networks were strengthened and expanded through collaborating with relevant national avocado research delivery partners, attending the 2019 Avocado World Congress in Colombia, organising and conducting the 2019 Californian avocado industry study tour, and hosting six international guest speakers who presented at ‘Avo Grow’ webinars or at the ‘Advanced Management Workshops’.