Introduction

• Inferior varieties - Most farmers rely on local varieties that are sometimes very susceptible to infections and low yields. New seedlings are generally raised directly from seeds, hence propagating the low yielding traits of the mother plants. Improved varieties are not easily accessible to farmers due to the limited availability of plant nurseries. As most improved varieties can only be propagated vegetatively by budding or grafting, farmers who lack this knowledge cannot do it themselves.
• Poor yields - Due to drought and poor management, poor yields often result. Most citrus production is done on small gardens mainly for the domestic market. The crops are not irrigated and in most cases suffer from drought stress, delayed flowering, affecting potential yields.
• Pests and diseases - Citrus is attacked by many diseases that cause serious losses (e.g. greening disease, anthracnose, damping off, phaeoramlaria leaf and fruit spot). Citrus is also very liable to infestation by pests like aphids, scales and white flies, some of which are vectors of the citrus tristeza virus or the greening disease.
• High postharvest losses - Harvesting of immature and overmature fruit, mechanical damage during harvest, transport and distribution, water loss (wilting) due to a poor handling system, and decay either due to blue or green mould and insect damage due to the Mediterranean fruit fly result in high postharvest losses.

To meet the above mentioned challenges and make citrus production more sustainable and profitable, interventions are needed. This chapter introduces organic approaches, which can be adapted to local conditions and can help address some citrus production challenges.