The World Avocado Congress (WAC) is a quadrennial meeting of avocado producers, researchers, marketers and other interested parties from several countries, for the purpose of information sharing and networking.
History The congress was founded by Jan Toerien. The first WAC was held in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1987.Opening Address of the first World Avocado Congress During the planning session for the second WAC in 1991 Dr. Mary-Lu Arpaia, a researcher from the University of California Riverside, proposed that an International Avocado Society (IAS) be formed and charged with the responsibility of organizing the WAC every four years. It was accepted by vote and the IAS was formed, with representatives from different countries selected for its initial organizing committee. At the first meeting of these representatives on 26 April 1991, Hank Brokaw and Dr. Arpaia was elected as co-chairs.
List of Congresses Congress Dates Location President(s) I May 1987 Johannesburg, South Africa Jan Toerien II 21–26 April 1991 Orange, California Hank Brokaw III 22–27 October 1995 Tel Aviv, Israel Amos Blumenfeld IV 1999 Mexico Daniel Teliz V 2003 Málaga, Spain Fernando Pliego-Alfaro VI 2007 Viña del Mar, Chile Monica Castro VII 2011 Cairns, Australia Antony Allen VIII 13–18 September 2015 Lima, Peru James Bosworth Crovetto IX 24–26 September 2019 Medellín, Colombia X 2–5 April 2023 Auckland, New Zealand XI 6-9 September 2027 Cape Town, South Africa
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