Officials expose deepening crisis tied to booming avocado industry: 'The whole world should be concerned'

A Mexican initiative to certify sustainably grown avocados is facing significant headwinds, according to Grist.

What's happening?

The Michoacán government has been trying to stem illegal deforestation by farmers looking to grow more of the state's lucrative crop. It has employed satellite imagery to monitor producers, identify which ones are growing the fruit sustainably, and incentivize packagers to buy from them with a new certification.

Qualifying growers have had no deforestation since 2018 and no forest fires since 2012 and do not operate on protected land. Only about 10% of avocado packing houses that send avocados to the United States have signed on to the Pro-Forest Avocado program, however.

There are quite a few roadblocks to increasing participation. For one, growers must pay for the certification, while packagers get it for free. This has made many growers feel like they have to comply with standards and pay for them to offload produce at all. There's a lot of distrust among producers of the government as well.

"Our biggest cancer is corruption," said local activist Julio Santoyo Guerrero, per Grist. "I believe that the cause that originated the expansion of avocados, the market demand, will be the same thing that can stop it. If the market continues to function without regulation, our forests will continue to be destroyed."

Why is deforestation important?

"We are losing the forest," said Michoacán Secretary of the Environment Alejandro Méndez López, per Grist. "The main contribution of Michoacán for climate change is land-use change. So I think the whole world should be concerned."

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Mature forests sequester atmospheric carbon, improve air quality, prevent soil erosion, protect against flooding, diminish heat islands, and house biodiversity, among many other benefits. Agriculture has been fragmenting ecosystems worldwide, depriving everyone of these tangible benefits.

What's being done about deforestation?

There remains optimism for the long-term success of the Pro-Forest Avocado project, even in the face of the threat of cartel violence.

"We have very few resources," said Méndez López, per Grist. "They can come to my office and put a gun to my head, but they won't be able to shut down a satellite."

What is the biggest reason you don't grow food at home?

Not enough time ⏳