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Jorge Altuna's story is just one of many from the CREA project (Camino a la Reactivación del Ecuador Agroalimentario) in Ecuador. Across eight different food value chains, Rikolto and its partners are working to support the journey of sustainably produced Ecuadorian food to European tables. In this article, we explore how Jorge's path crosses with this multidisciplinary collaboration between Ecuador and Belgium, which is seeking to lay the basis for better food and businesses on both sides of the ocean.
Jorge is a 45-year-old farmer from Salinas de Ibarra in the province of Imbabura in northern Ecuador. These days, he grows and exports avocados on his farm, but that was not always the case.
“I used to work in a different sector, far away from home and my family,” he recalls. 'A job should make you happy and make you feel like you are living for something greater. I decided to look for a life that would bring me closer to home and nature. My parents owned a piece of land, so the goal in my life became sustainable farming. It is challenging, but I face it every day with determination.”
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Do you love avocados? You're not alone! According to the OECD/FAO Agricultural Outlook 2021–2030 report, avocados are expected to become the second most traded tropical fruit after bananas by 2030. However, as with many foods, factors such as where avocados are produced, how they are irrigated and the amount of pollution created during production and transportation determine their water and carbon footprints.
For reference, according to the Water Footprint Network, avocados are recognised as having a medium water footprint compared to foods such as nuts and olive oil, which have a large footprint.
The World Avocado Organisation (WAO) currently states that producing one kilogramme of avocados requires between 600 and 700 litres of water. In countries with sufficient rainfall, only 10 litres of irrigation water per kilogram of avocado produced is required, shares Miguel Escudero, market researcher at Rikolto, commenting on his participation at the 2024 Fruit Attraction in Spain with an event focused on avocado.
In response to growing demand, the CREA team, along with partners from Belgian and Ecuadorian universities, is working to assess the environmental impact of avocado farming. From 2023, Rikolto, KU Leuven University in Belgium and ESPOL University in Ecuador started a research project on water and carbon footprints in Corpoaguacate, an Ecuadorian farmer organisation operating in the avocado supply chain.
In 2024, preliminary results from the study indicated that Andean-Ecuadorian farms could produce one tonne of avocados with an average water consumption of up to 630 m³ per year, bringing them close to the world's most efficient standards. The study also showed that the most efficient Ecuadorian farms could use up to 60% less water than the least efficient ones.
That’s how Jorge became involved in the CREA project. His farm, 'La Delicia', was selected as one of six pilot farms on which to install meteorological stations to collect real-time information on the amount of water present in the soil for the plants.
From the start, Jorge invested heavily in irrigation systems at “La Delicia”, motivated by the desire to demonstrate to his community and future generations that a resilient and efficient avocado farming system is possible.
Margarita Baquero from ESPOL and KU Leuven is enthusiastic about the publication of the final results, which are expected at the end of 2025. In the meantime, the research team has shared preliminary findings at the Fruit Attraction fair in Madrid and the CILCA conference in Mexico City in April 2025, as well as at the IV International Avocado Congress in Ecuador.
'We have already met with various farmers to talk about carbon and water footprints. Until now, nobody knew what these were or had measured them. Then I had the opportunity to meet each of the farmers, who gave us their time, space, data and trust.'
"Although it sounds simple, one of the most important recommendations is for farm owners to collect data," noted Margarita. "I think we are sometimes not used to recording everything, but this is important for many things, even for obtaining certifications such as GlobalGAP, which demonstrates good environmental agricultural practices." Furthermore, it is a requirement for access to the European market for fresh produce.
And that is the goal: to give Jorge's avocados and those of the other farmers involved with CREA a better chance of finding a market for sustainably produced food in Europe. However, matching supply and demand is not an easy task. The CREA commercial team have the ongoing challenge of arranging technical support for commercial and management between organisations in Ecuador and in Belgium, to meet specifications, ensure traceability, and comply with EU import regulations.
Jorge is motivated by a desire to set an example for sustainable agriculture:
'I want to set an example in the agricultural sector and show that agriculture and nature conservation can go hand in hand. I hope to have a positive impact on my children and future generations in Ecuador. If we farmers join forces, we can give our country and the agricultural sector a hopeful future.”
The CREA project works with more than just the avocado value chain in Ecuador. The project is also active in the cocoa, coffee, banana, plantain, soursop, guayusa and quinoa sectors, promoting more sustainable food systems that are environmentally and socially responsible. In total, the EU-funded programme reaches 11,165 Ecuadorian farmers associated with 23 farmer organisations and 33 small and medium-sized food businesses.
By strengthening the professional capabilities of farmers such as Jorge and encouraging cross-border knowledge exchange, among other strategies, CREA is looking to improve the possibilities for more equitable and inclusive trade collaborations between the European Union and food-exporting countries, such as Ecuador, that are seeking to make their practices more sustainable.
Based on the preliminary findings, ESPOL and KU Leuven have made recommendations to help farmers reduce the water and carbon footprint of avocado production.
What could help reduce the water footprint?
What about reducing the carbon footprint?
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At CREA, the results of this research on water footprint and carbon footprint are a contribution to the avocado export sector and the Ecuadorian Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade and Investment, with the aim of serving as a strategic tool for differentiation in the promotion of the product in international markets. This contribution seeks to strengthen the competitiveness of Ecuadorian avocados, highlighting their commitment to increasing environmental sustainability in the chain and responding to growing global consumer demand for responsible products.
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Edition: Kelly Hu, communications intern at Rikolto, worked on this article! This article was first published for a Belgian audience here.
Would you like to find out more about sourcing avocados and other products from the CREA programme? Get in touch with our colleagues:
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