The California Avocado Commission has launched a webpage to showcase the sustainability practices of California avocado growers. The information illustrates how California avocado growers are good stewards of the land as well as contributing members of their communities. The Commission’s consumer website, CaliforniaAvocado.com, now includes a section called “California Avocado Sustainability” where website visitors can learn about the four pillars of California avocado sustainability: environmentally friendly farming, worker well-being, healthy communities and economic viability.
The website explains that California avocado growers farm under robust federal and state requirements and follow Good Agricultural Practices and the Food Safety Modernization Act. It highlights that tilling is not used in California avocado production and that California avocado farmers help to generate healthy soils. Regenerative agriculture practices that are already part of what California avocado growers do are noted as well.
In the worker well-being section several California laws and regulations that set the state apart both from other states and other countries are noted building awareness that workers in the California avocado industry are treated well. The healthy communities section showcases both the physical benefits of avocado groves in a community as well as the contributions by California growers who participate in making their communities better.
Economic viability is a key part of sustainability. Clearly, if California avocado growers can’t survive financially then the business cannot be sustained. This pillar of the sustainability initiative puts a spotlight on the economic value of the California avocado industry and encourages purchasers to support their communities and choose locally grown when available.
One of the ways of communicating this sustainability information and making it more relatable to key purchasers, is by tying it back to California avocado grower stories. If you have a story you would like to share about your environmentally friendly growing practices, the well-being of your employees or your involvement in your community, please contact Ken Melban at kmelban@avocado.org.
