ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sustain. Food Syst.
Sec. Agricultural and Food Economics
This article is part of the Research TopicCircularity in Integrated Production SystemsView all articles
Production Systems of Hass Avocado among Small-Scale Colombian Farmers: Assessment and Strategies for Strengthening Sustainable Integration into Export Markets
Provisionally accepted
- Universidad de Los Andes, Bogota, Colombia
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Colombia's Hass avocado sector has expanded rapidly, yet smallholder producers face uneven access to technology, certification, and export markets. Understanding the determinants of sustainable practice adoption is essential to promote inclusive growth and competitiveness. A cross-sectional survey of n = 3,867 small-scale Hass avocado producers across 18 departments was analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and logistic regression models for four adoption outcomes: organic fertilizer, chemical fertilizer, irrigation systems, and soil analysis. Explanatory variables included farm size, age of crop, residence status, distance to the nearest town, certification type, and management practices. Export certification strongly predicted the use of chemical fertilizers (OR = 6.81; 95% CI [4.33, 10.70]), while Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification was positively associated with soil analysis (OR = 5.44; 95% CI [3.83, 7.73]). The application of biostimulants significantly increased the likelihood of organic fertilizer use (OR = 5.41; 95% CI [3.81, 7.67]). Conversely, greater distance to markets consistently reduced adoption probabilities, whereas on-farm residence enhanced engagement with sustainable practices. Findings highlight structural inequalities in access to innovation and underscore the role of certification and proximity in accelerating the complementary adoption of sustainable technologies. Targeted public–private strategies to strengthen advisory systems, certification pathways, and localized technical support could enhance traceability, quality, and inclusion in Colombia's avocado export sector.
Keywords: Hass avocado, Colombia, Smallholder farmers, production systems, Technologyadoption, Certification, Export agriculture
Received: 25 Aug 2025; Accepted: 03 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 FORERO, Cruz and Muñoz-Camargo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: ÁLVARO FORERO, a.forerom2@uniandes.edu.co
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