How can avocado contribute to cash flow in smallholder farming in Tanzania?

Mr. Ibrahim Juma Vuga who begins his PhD education on avocado at the Department of Plant Breeding of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Alnarp on October 2016 participates in the Sida research and training programme “Sustainable Agricultural Productivity, Processing, and Value Chain for Enhancing Food Security in Tanzania (SAPPV)” between the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) and SLU. His first period for the 4-year “sandwich program” will be until 31^st January 2017. His fieldwork on avocado genetic resources is in Tanzania, where gets support from UDSM and SLU. Lab research on tissue culture for micro-propagation and DNA fingerprinting of avocado germplasm will be undertaken at SLU in Alnarp. Rodomiro Ortiz, Chair Professor in genetics and plant breeding is his SLU main supervisor, while Prof. Agnes Nyomora is his main supervisor at UDSM, and Prof. Anders S. Carlsson, Dr. Helena Persson Hovmalm and Dr. Moneim Fatih are his other SLU co-supervisors.

Avocado has important nutritional values and the potential to contribute to cash flow in smallholder farming particularly for women in Tanzania. Chances of high value crops entering local, regional markets and beyond is, however, often constrained by quality, particularly for home garden smallholder farmer settings. In fact, Tanzania is not producing any appreciable amounts of avocado that enters the regional or global trade. Hence, the objective of Ibrahim PhD research is to increase the potential of avocado productivity, quality and value chain, bioprospecting and crop improvement in the Southern highland area. His work includes a combination of a participatory research approach, DNA fingerprinting, testing of promising germplasm, and physiological research. Micro-propagation will be established for fast-tracking mass production of favorable avocado clones. Links with key fruit production areas in Southern Highlands of Tanzania will be established and strengthened for provision and sharing high productive avocado cultivars and the capacity of extension officers will be built for sustainability by bringing the results of the research to use.