Although the avocado has been cultivated and consumed for more than 9000 years in its native Latin America, world production and trade have only developed over the past few decades, and now exceed 3.5 million tonnes. The avocado is now widely traded between warmer and colder countries as a result of the global community becoming increasingly aware of its versatility and nutritional value. For the past decade, the global avocado industry has been going through a period of rapid technological change and innovation. The dietary value of 'the most nutritious of all fruit' is also receiving more attention.

Contributions by: Victor Albert, Martín Aluja, Mary Arpaia, Carlos Balerdi, Araceli Barceló-Muñoz, Alejandro Barrientos Priego, Gary Bender, Jay Bost, John Bower, Andre Chanderbali, Lindy Coates, Jonathan Crane, Elizabeth Dann, Derek Donkin, Greg Douhan, André Ernst, Edward Evans, Ben Faber, Lauren Garner, Pilar Gil, Mark Hoddle, Peter Hofmann, Emanuel Lahav, Uri Lavi, Richard Litz, Rodrigo López-Gómez, Carol Lovatt