Avocado demand continues to grow locally and globally. Kenya’s export supply is also growing but progress is slow. The international boom in demand coincides with changes to the structure of the international fresh produce market reflecting a move from the “non-programmed world” to the “programmed world”. The main challenge for Kenya’s avocado sector is how to transform to a programmed world in a way that benefits Kenyan exporters and smallholder farmers. Contract farming, where farmers commit to producing avocados in a given manner and buyers commit to
purchasing the product, may be a good option for Kenya. However, many contracting schemes have failed in the past.
