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In the recent past, the Hass avocado has gotten rated as one of the most useful fruits in the global market due to the high level of its productivity potential, nutritional diversity and consumer acceptance. Hass avocado is estimated to comprise over 14% oil and commands high global demand. For instance, by 2019, the global market of the Hass avocado was valued at US$12.8bn and is projected to rise to about US$17.9BN by 2025 (NARO, 2022). Hass avocado is among the key emerging non-traditional cash crops of Uganda with enormous potential to contribute not only to the growth of the agricultural sector but also to increase the country's foreign exchange earnings and improve household incomes.
Hass avocado offers Uganda farmers an avenue to alleviate poverty while at the same time contributing to climate change through carbon sequestration from the avocado trees. It is part of the reason that the government of Uganda, through the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) has stepped up effort to promote and scale up the production of both Hass avocado and Macadamia. These emerging high value fruit trees are central to the strategic community interventions mooted by the Rotary Club of Nakawa, in partnership with NAADS. The partnership seeks to promote information that promotes and sharpens the interventions of farmers in advancing Hass avocado, including distributing seedlings to interested communities, whose soil profiles have already been mapped out by NAADS as being suitable for such horticulture.
Whereas the government and NAADS are currently working with large scale farmers with land holdings of 50 acres, the Rotary Club of Nakawa and NAADS partnership will target to support smallholder farmers, promote information sharing, generate mass production towards the export demand of the country. Ultimately the auxiliary outcome of the intervention will on tackling both poverty and environmental regeneration.
The RC Nakawa will, in collaboration with NAADS' experts support the Rotary model community farmers that shall serve to enhance awareness and support smallholder community farmers with practical information on quality planting, materials for Hass avocado. The partnership will convey the relevant agricultural support services including extension, research and technology, storage, processing and value addition, market information and market for produce.
The project is designed in a tripartite arrangement whereby RC Nakawa and other partner clubs will lead the project implementation. An MOU or letter of consent has been sought from NAADS who shall lead the technical arm of the project. In effect, NAADS will introduce the RC Nakawa to its community technical persons who shall constitute the working partners on capacity building, each time RC Nakawa has scheduled visits to the target community. NAADS confirmed that these persons are present at each of the Hass avocado producing territories.
Once at the community, the RC Nakawa and the NAADS technocrats shall liaise with the Avocado Cooperative's leaders who shall be the grounds team and lead mobilizers. The same leadership shall be responsible for identifying the relevant farmers who will be trained as change champions and mentors to the rest of the farmers.
The partnership seeks to popularize information on Hass avocado farming, including distributing seedlings to interested communities, whose soil profiles have already been mapped out by NAADS as being suitable for such horticulture.
Whereas the government and NAADS are currently working with large scale farmers with land holdings of 50 acres, the Rotary Club of Nakawa and NAADS partnership will target to support smallholder farmers owning between 1 - 5 acres, promote information sharing, generate mass production towards the export demand of the country. Ultimately the auxiliary outcome of the intervention will on tackling both poverty and environmental regeneration.
The RC Nakawa in collaboration with other Rotary clubs and NAADS' experts seek to create Hass avocado model communities farms that shall serve to enhance awareness and support smallholder community farmers with practical information on quality planting, materials for both macadamia and Hass avocado. The partnership will convey the relevant agricultural support services including extension, research and technology, storage, processing and value addition, market information and market for produce.
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