The road to sustainable fruit and vegetable growing: CIRAD presents its roadmap for the horticulture value chain

Horticulture is industrialised in developed countries, but practised by family farms,in low-income tropical countries. Those producers essentiallu supply local markets. Horticulture plays a major role in terms of local incomes, territorial development, jobs and food and nutrition security, for both rural and urban population groups. 

Horticulture faces multiple challenges

The sector is particularly dependent on water supplies, which are increasingly scarce as a result of climate change. Pests and diseases such as citrus greening (HLB) jeopardise production systems and farm profitability. The still too frequent use of large volumes of synthetic pesticides is a threat to soil fertility and contaminates end products. Producers must also cope with economic losses due to the perishability of their products, and face growing competition from ultra-processed products.

CIRAD is working to invent the horticulture of the future

To address these many issues, CIRAD presents its five main ambitions in the summary of its roadmap for the value chain:  

1 - Improve water use and efficiency in horticulture systems

2- Promote the agroecological transition of horticultural production systems

3 - Give vulnerable people better access to a healthy, varied diet

Horticultural products have high nutritional value and are vital for health. Consumers are looking for sufficient choice, quality, and transparency as regards production methods, at a reasonable price, while producers need to produce more and better, while earning a decent living.s 

4 - Consider the multi-functionality of horticulture within territories

In addition to food, horticulture provides a wide range of social, economic, environmental and cultural services, such as waste recycling and mitigating warming in urban environments, but also contributes to pollution. That multi-functionality is still relatively undocumented, whereas it could be put to good use to manage the value chain more sustainably. 

5 - Build stakeholder capacity in the light of the digitalisation of horticulture

Digital technology is increasingly present, and offers new opportunities for the sector. However, players in tropical and Mediterranean countries may not benefit. CIRAD is helping them switch to digital, to allow them to take such tools on board while safeguarding their right to choose and their independence.

Lastly, product quality is a transverse issue, at the crossroads between the five ambitions.