Finca La Salada avocado water consumption

According to the Water Foodprint Network, some parts of the world use up to 2000 litres of water to produce only a kilo of avocados and the WAO (WORLD AVOCADO ORGANIZATION) further claims that this figure has been optimized to 600-700 litres.

 At FINCA LA SALADA we can promise our methods include the efficient use of irrigation water and that measures and techniques are implemented to produce our avocados with minimum water consumption, which means we use 80% less than the data provided by the WFN.

WHAT DO WE DO AT FINCA LA SALADA?

At FINCA LA SALADA, water efficiency is part of our DNA and so we take certain measures to fulfil what we consider to be our main responsibilities.  Every drop counts and every step taken helps us to achieve our objectives.  We want you to know what we do to make our avocadoes TOP in sustainability.

THIS IS WHAT WE DO!

At FINCA LA SALADA, 32% of our water resources come from the reuse of treated water.  

We have a natural reservoir on the farm itself in which we capture surplus water after torrential rains, while preventing erosion downstream. This reservoir provides us with about 20% of our water resources.

We recycle 100% of the water used by our irrigation filtering systems.

After a series of studies, we have cut down our use of irrigation sprinklers in our fields by more than half and we now have our own irrigation distribution strategy to perfectly hydrate the crops without wasting water.

In our plantations we use a mesh to eliminate weeds from competing in the hydration zone of the tree.  This consequently avoids evaporation loss and also means that the hydration period in our avocados’ roots is longer.  This system allows us to save up to 25-30% of irrigation water.

We have a water reserve capacity of 40,000 m3 that allows us to store water in times of torrential rains and use it when needed.  In this reservoir, we cultivate the floating aquatic plant, Lemna gibba which in turn, prevents water loss caused by evaporation.

The weeds are mashed at the end of their cycle to form a mulch on the soil, which increases soil moisture and saves water.

The coexistence of grass, weeds and other plants combined with their deep roots means that a perfect filter is created for the rain and we greatly benefit from this as its of vital importance when saving water and it also prevents soil erosion.

We make great use of this efficient rainwater system by completely shutting down our own irrigation system and collecting all the water from heavy rainfall periods, depending on its duration.

These are the main measures and strategies used to meet our objectives regarding the recycling of water when cultivating our avocados, ensuring that the consumption of FINCA LA SALADA avocados is the most sustainable and healthy option.

Come and visit us!  We would love to tell you all about are plantations.

It would be a pleasure!