The history of Mexico is linked to that of the avocado. And vice versa. This fruit has been cultivated in the country for centuries, even appearing in the Mayan calendar and being something that nobles received as tribute. However, avocado consumption did not explode until the end of the 20th century. It was then that the fruit achieved national relevance due to different factors, but above all to advertisements in the Super Bowl and the tradition of eating nachos with guacamole during the game.
Since then, we have been on the global avocado craze. Whether for its nutritional properties or for fashion, avocado cultivation and consumption is a huge market today. It is not to everyone’s taste for various reasons, including the felling of trees and excessive water consumption. And anti-avocado militias have begun to appear in Mexico.
Avocado Paradise. Because of the amount of money avocados generate, Mexico has made them a cornerstone of its economy. In 2017, the government commissioned a study on the potential of avocados, which estimates that in 2013, national production would increase from less than two million tons to 3.16 million tons in 2030, with exports valued at doubling to $4.655 billion.
The United States is the main destination for Mexican avocados (a country with which they had a long battle not so many years ago over this fruit) and at events such as the Super Bowl, 100,000 tons have been consumed. That amount only during the game and taking into account both the avocado itself and the derived products (guacamole, for example).
Juicy business. In that same study, it was estimated that the world demand for avocado would increase from 2.84 million tons to 4.24 million tons. Therefore, the Government is considering the best way to cover the national demand while satisfying 50% of the world demand itself thanks to a series of strategies to further consolidate itself in the United States (through the renegotiation of the ‘North American Free Trade Agreement’), in Europe, in the United Kingdom, in Japan and, above all, in China, through cooperation measures with their governing bodies.
In the map above, the Undersecretariat of Agriculture showed the strategic map of the different Mexican regions where avocado production can be further optimized.
Incoherent dataThe problem is the one we mentioned earlier: increasing avocado plantations requires space and a lot, but a lot of water. This is causing deforestation to increase and increasing the consequences of droughts in some areas.
Mongabay echoed the difference between official studies and those not interested. According to the Agrifood and Fisheries Information Service, they identified 167,747 hectares throughout Michoacán. The authors of the study ‘Estimation of fragmentation and connectivity patterns of the temperate forest in a landscape dominated by avocado to propose conservation strategies’ identified a much, much larger amount: 244,705 hectares. Around 30% would be illegal.
The cartels appeared. They estimate that by 2050, there will be another 100,000 hectares of orchards in Michoacán, and 60% of them are likely to be established in a forest. But beyond the official and registered crops, there is the problem of the cartels. Being such a lucrative business, criminal organizations (a problem for most Mexican businessmen, as they themselves have recognized) want a piece of the pie.
In an article in The Guardian, locals from cultivated areas talk about how drug cartels have been attracted to this industry and, through extortion and control of territory, have become involved in the control of avocados. A few years ago we reported that these groups are exercising violence against local populations to ensure control of some of the segments of the avocado production chain.
And the anti-avocado militia arrived. The Guardian article also states that, taking all this into account, there are communities that have begun to take action and take justice into their own hands. One such case is Cherán, a town that has established an organised and armed resistance against deforestation, the massive cultivation of avocados and as protection against the cartels.
This kind of forest guard is there to prevent illegal logging and the planting of new avocado orchards. In fact, they have begun to take action against deforested areas by planting pine trees to ‘attract’ rain and reinforce the recharge of underground aquifers that the avocado crops were draining.
They have their reasons. With this desire to recover their lands and to defend themselves against the extortion and territorial domination practices of the cartels, and taking into account the inaction of the government, the Cherán uprising has served as an inspiration for other nearby towns. In the end, and as occurs in other places in Mexico where they protect themselves from the cartels, the rejection of violence and self-defense are two important reasons, but they also want to protect the environment and, above all, ensure local survival.
The inhabitants of Cherán say that avocado cultivation has caused havoc throughout the region and their goal is to ensure that the community can continue to access water to ensure the survival of the community. We will see what happens, but it does not seem that this avocado expansion will end even if more anti-avocado militias emerge. In fact, it is no longer just the mafia, but also businessmen and groups from the United States – such as the Driscoll’s – who try to bribe locals to Buy land and continue expanding the crops.
Images | Petar43,
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