Avocado Development with MASHAV

Consumption rates of avocado fruits has doubled globally between 2005 to 2020, reaching 5 million tons per year.  The growing demand for avocado is expected to rise sustainably in European countries, Asia and the Middle East which provide potentially high value international markets for Ethiopian producers of avocados.

CultivAid’s Avocado program is in partnership with MASHAV, Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation, a division of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of the smallholder horticulture program which aims to promote economic growth in rural areas through strengthening commercialization of the Avocado production. 

CultivAid is working to support  the development of the value chain for avocado production and marketing and to ensure the proper agronomic practices are adapted in orchard management. Our role is to develop knowledge on best agronomic practices.  

  • Established in 2016, a 2 hectare Avocado orchard at Kallamino Farm.  The site serves as model orchard and enables training and demonstration. The site includes Hass variety (type A) and Fuerte and Ettinger (type B) at a 9:1 ratio planted at 410 trees per hectare. 
  • Established in 2017, 1 hectare avocado orchard at El Shadai serves as a model training center, a demonstration site and aims to improve the capacity of avocado production in the region. The site is investigating different tree spacing, 2X4 and 4X4. The site includes a Solar powered drip irrigation system and demonstrate intercropping method of vegetable production between trees for the first 3 years as a means to promote income while the trees are too young to bear fruit.
  • Established 2020, a 1 hectare fruit tree orchard at El Shadai Kallamino utilizing terraces and intercropping. The site has Avocado, Lime, Lemon and Orange trees.