When trying to switch to a healthier or vegan diet, people would usually opt to increase their avocado consumption for the high amount of nutrients the fruit contains.
There’s one problem to be considered and it’s the increasing demand and devastating effects supplying this fruit can have, especially in Mexico.
Keeping up
It’s commonly known that Mexico has a problem with organized crime usually related to drugs but in recent years, avocado has become one of the most valuable assets. Owning avocado fields is extremely profitable and the land is highly disputed, it generated so much violence that avocado is now known as “green gold”.
Most avocados grown in Mexico are handpicked and the best quality is exported to the US, the reason is that the US is one of the biggest consumers worldwide of avocado, most of it coming from Mexico and it’s not easy to keep up.
As the demand increases, people realize just how profitable it is to grow this fruit. Land to grow these trees is highly disputed and it’s not a regulated market being mostly controlled by organized crime.
Effects
Most of the problem is happening in just one state: Michoacan. It is estimated that Mexico produces over one-third of the avocado available worldwide and 80% of that amount comes entirely from Michoacan. Responsible for most of the country’s avocado export, it’s also taking a huge environmental toll in the state. There are currently over 200 thousand hectares just for avocado growth in Michoacan, not only is it taking a huge amount of land to grow avocados but there are also huge water containers built just to maintain these trees, risking breaking or altering the hydrological cycle of the region. Avocado trees require huge amounts of water, a much higher amount than the state’s native species and its roots do not make it easy for water to filter back to groundwaters. This can become a problematic cycle since the lack of water creates a need for more water containers and to dig deeper wells.
Michoacan has already lost over 50% of its natural vegetation, there’s also a great loss of biodiversity when the land is used exclusively for avocado growth.
The use of fertilizers and herbicides is also a problem considering the amount of land that requires such care, these can seriously alter the soil and pollute the water causing people to get sick.
Solutions
It’s really complicated for the Michoacan government to regulate the land and the way avocado is grown since cartels have become very powerful within this industry controlling almost entirely the areas where avocado is grown.
Since it’s really complicated to regulate the avocado industry within Mexico, one way this problem could be fixed is to regulate how it is imported to other countries making sure suppliers comply with environmental standards and other regulations that can force suppliers to implement more sustainable practices.
In the near future…
This means that if regulated, Michoacan will be close or has already reached a sustainable supply limit for avocados, the state that would follow in supply is Jalisco. While it doesn’t provide as much as Michoacan, the demand keeps growing, and to prevent the effects of land exploitation Michoacan had, importation should be regulated.
As an average consumer, we can opt for local suppliers or demand an international certification that guarantees sustainable or legal practices.
