School of Social & Political Sciences

Global demand for this health food has sky-rocketed in recent years, but this has generated huge socio-environmental pressures in key producer regions such as Michoacán in México

From being a core pillar of the Instagram fitness movement to the heart of any brunch, the Western world can't get enough of avocados. In the US, consumption increased by 453% between 2000 and 2023. But this phenomenon isn't just limited to the LA wellness warriors - even the West End of Glasgow has become somewhat of a 'brunchopolis'. I am as guilty as anyone, even if it is an occassional splurge. But should we be thinking about the true cost of our obsession?

Socio-environmental impacts

An article by the New York Times investigated the socio-environmental impact of the increased production of avocados in Mexico to keep up with global demand. The Michoacán region now produces as much as a third of the world's supply of avocados, but this high demand has exacerbated weaknesses of political institutions in the region. The experience of Michoacán serves as a warning to other Latin American countries that may wish to opt into this lucrative market.

In a recent article, Romero and Mega effectively capture the level of local devastation by interviewing several actors negatively affected by avocado production. Most avocado-driven deforestation violates Mexican law prohibiting "land-use change without government authorization". The mass removal of natural forest species has significantly reduced carbon sequestration processes and increased water stress through the introduction of a water-intensive crop. Furthermore, the appeal of avocado 'goldmines' has attracted criminal gang involvement resulting in physical violence over competition for resources. Yet, corruption and criminal pressure have caused local government investigations into illegal activity to practically vanish. Furthermore, there's limited US intervention to prevent illegally sourced products from entering the market. Thus, little stops the continued exploitation of Michoacán as demand soars. 

Further literature suggests that these issues are profound and multifaceted. More importantly, they speak to wider issues of the inherent "unsustainability of global food production chains" particularly in developing countries where political institutions are weak. 

The intensification of avocado demand has led to the favouring of large producers over smallholders. This concentration of production by large companies has compounded environmental damage. For example, between 1990 and 2006, 33.1% of forest area was lost at the altitudinal band perfect for avocado growth. Furthermore, the high water usage levels and lower soil retention have created social conflict due to unnatural water scarcity. Yet, smallholders are more likely to "utilise environmental friendly practices". However, sustainable farming practices like manual pest control undercut their profits. Thus, there is little incentive for profitable commercial companies to adopt sustainable farming practices, putting small farmers and the environment at risk. 

Similarly, despite large amounts of land being owned by the commons and indigenous communities, increased avocado production alongside weak legal enforcement has led to "the de facto parcellation and privatisation of land". Consequently, these communities have no power over their shared environment and resources. Without more regulation from local government, these issues will persist. 

On one hand, the average unemployment rate between 2005-2019 at 3.04% in Michoacán, was significantly lower than Mexico's average of 4.22%. However, favouring of large production affects the distribution of profits to the local economy. Due to competition with commercial farms for market share, small farmers often sell through "coyote" intermediaries. However, this increase in the supply chain length slashes small farmer profits. Furthermore, because large producers often don't reside locally, profits are removed from the local economy. Thus, there's little incentive for commercial farms to use sustainable practices and invest in the local economy. Therefore, the average poverty rate remains higher in Michoacán than across Mexico. To some extent, the region's orientation around avocado production creates a dependency on the US market. The saturation of international markets in raw commodity exports can lead to fluctuations in price that affect small farmers more acutely. Therefore, large inequalities between commercial producers and smaller farmers are evident both in their practices and experiences of avocado production. 

Finally, positive emerging evidence suggests that, while complicating the number of actors involved, avocado production is reducing drug-related activity in the area. A study found that across the region, labour has been shifting "from illicit to licit as returns of appropriation decrease", as well as a decrease in cartel homicides. Furthermore, the study found that, in the absence of a strong state, communities pooled their resources together to produce an armed resistance against criminal organizations seeking land and monetary appropriation. However, these findings don't address other elements of competition over resources that may still lead to an increase in criminal activity. 

How can these issues be tackled?

First, changes to consumer choices could address several issues. For example, shifting the costs of sustainable farming onto consumers would increase small farmers' profits, but also incentivise commercial producers to invest in sustainable farming practices. Furthermore, marking out sustainability produced avocados with eco-labels allows consumers to make more sustainable choices. Similarly, if US suppliers sourced avocados from a wider range of producers, small farmers could see more business and reduce the need for intermediaries. 

Secondly, increased efforts from local government to enforce the law could lessen the negative socio-environmental impact. However, this speaks to a wider disharmony between the central and local governments, as well as patterns of weak government through the Latin American region. Thus, limited official control leaves a power vaccum allowing illegal activity to continue. Without serious attempts at reform, it is unlikely that inequality and environmental degradation will be adequately addressed.

Overall, this case study seeks to demonstrate the embedded economic and political inequalities between interests, as well as the influence of Western consumption patterns that perpetuate these inequalities. Perhaps we should all be more aware of our role in the global supply chain, particularly the next time you brunch!

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This blog is part of the SPS Student Academic Blog series. You can read more contributions from the series here.

First published: 23 April 2025