(July 16, 2018) - Almond growers have been on a journey of continuous improvement for many years, finding ways to responsibly grow more almonds to meet global demand. With predictions of another record crop on the horizon, the Board of Directors of the Almond Board of California (ABC) has been working to prioritize industry resources in four key areas that will ensure almonds remain an economically, environmentally and social responsible crop for California. These four key areas ladder up to the Almond Orchard 2025 goals.
The Almond Orchard 2025 goals will serve as a guidepost to lead the industry forward on a path of continuous improvement.
By 2025, the California almond community commits to:
- Reduce the amount of water used to grow a pound of almonds by 20%.
- Reduce dust during almond harvest by 50%.
- Increase adoption of environmentally-friendly pest management tools by 25%.
- Achieve zero waste in our orchards by putting everything we grow to optimal use.
These goals build upon a history of significant industry achievements. Over the past two decades growers have reduced the amount of water it takes to grow a pound of almonds by 33%.[1] Since the rollout of a groundbreaking pasteurization program a decade ago, there have been zero outbreaks of foodborne illness attributed to California almonds. And work to put everything grown in the orchard to good use has been ongoing. These efforts have positioned the industry for continued growth.
“Our industry continues to grow, which places more focus on us, yet provides significant opportunity. This opportunity presents challenges however, and those challenges need to be addressed to protect our right to farm almonds in California,” said Holly King, chair of the Board. “The same innovation and work ethic that has driven our success in the past will lead us into the future. We hope you'll join us in supporting these goals and pulling together as an industry to achieve these important milestones in our journey of continuous improvement.”
Setting goals is the first step. Much work needs to be done to map out the most direct route and set milestones along the way.
“This may be the broadest composite endeavor in Almond Board history,” said Kent Stenderup, almond grower and vice chair of ABC’s Board of Directors. “These four initiatives help drive our industry to continuously improve how we grow almonds and reduce our own footprint. By setting these goals we demonstrate both ownership of and pride in our practices.”
Work has already begun to develop roadmaps that will pave the way to the Almond Orchard 2025 Goals. As the industry’s largest event, the Almond Conference will serve as an opportunity for the industry to come together and learn how all can participate.
“The successes we’ve achieved already allow us to celebrate and build upon our progress,” King said. “We now have the opportunity to define the orchard of the future and work to make it a reality.”
[1] University of California, 2010. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2012. Almond Board of California, 1990-94, 2000-14
