Westfalia Fruit Group Strengthens Sustainability Commitments With New Sustainable Water Solution; Zac Bard Shares
KENT, ENGLAND - Our little Blue Planet got its name from the fact that it consists of about 71 percent water. Each day, the fresh produce industry utilizes this valuable resource, making it ever more precious to conserve and maintain. Westfalia Fruit Group is rolling out an innovative sustainable water solution across its network of farms as part of its far-reaching sustainability commitments.
“Fifty years ago avocados and most orchard crops were flood irrigated,” commented Zac Bard, Group Executive Global Farming, Growers, and Commercial Nurseries. “That gave way to improved technology over many years such as micro jets and then drippers. Now, we have these innovative low-flow drippers at a time when farmers have a responsibility to feed the growing world population using the same or fewer resources. Buyers and consumers can be reassured that Westfalia avocados have been produced with care for the environment as a top priority.”
According to the release, the avocado producer and supplier has pioneered a low-flow drip irrigation technique that saves a significant volume of the water used to grow its crops, while also increasing the output and economic value of the fruit. It is estimated that the approach will bring an overall 50 percent efficiency boost in farms where it is implemented.
The system features small pipes that run under the tree and contains emitters that release less than one liter of water an hour per nozzle. Linked to a pump system and weather sensors, it replaces no more water than is lost from the avocado tree from evaporation and transpiration.
“Our water policy states that we want to produce more avocados with less water,” Bard concluded. “So, we are doing that with irrigation technology as well as running a research program looking at new rootstocks and production methods. It’s all about efficiency.”
This system is already in use across Westfalia’s farms in South Africa, Portugal, and Chile and newly installed on the company’s avocado farm in Mozambique. Westfalia plans to gradually roll out the technology across its global farming portfolio as old orchards are replanted with new ones.
To read more about this initiative, click here.
Stay tuned as we report on the innovations and strategies employed in our industry.
