Kenya: Avocado farm loses case on wildlife territory

An avocado firm located in Kenya’s biggest game park has lost a bid to have its license renewed, a blow to its operations deemed to interfere with the wildlife.

The Kenya National Environmental Tribunal suspended Kiliavo Fresh's license last year and further ordered the firm to stop its activities in the area.

A turf war had erupted over the farm that spreads over 180 acres near Amboseli National Park, where elephants and other wildlife graze.

Environmental groups say it obstructs important migration routes for 2,000 elephants and could threaten their existence.

Agribusiness Company KiliAvo Fresh was cleared to plant avocados last year on land it bought from local Masai.

The owners say their development falls outside the important migration corridors.

Following pressure, Kenya’s environmental agency ordered the farm to stop working last September while it reviewed the file.

For environmentalists, large-scale agriculture cannot be sustainable in this arid region plagued by climate change.

It takes 1,000 liters of water to produce a single kilo of avocados and this lack of water represents another threat to the ecosystem.