Avocados: Agriculture and Aggression

Words By: Sofia Frias Graphics By: Jamie Kim

Food and violence. One sustains life; the other preludes death.

The avocado is a symbol of fertility, a sign of life. It nourishes the body. It breathes life into economic systems, prompting billions of dollars in yearly Mexican exports. It is the foundation for the livelihood of tens of thousands of Mexican farmers.

20 years ago, each American ate about two pounds of avocados per year. In 2018, yearly consumption skyrocketed to 7.2 pounds. In the past, farmers in California have produced a considerable harvest of avocados, but the recent explosion in demand has shown that consumers want more avocados year round. As temperatures in San Diego drop in the winter months and water sources have become unreliable, we’ve turned to our southern neighbors for a stable supply of avocados 365 days a year. The Michoacán State is home to 92% of Mexican production of the popular fruit. The rising call for the avocado has created a profitable industry, bringing economic relief to people once living in poverty. Men in kevlar vests defend the coveted orchard land, armed with rifles in preparation for violent exchanges of bullets. The Michoacán state has become a target region for organized crime. Known commonly as “green gold,” drug cartels have taken extreme interest in avocado crop profit.

Instead of mass-producing crystal meth, heroin, and marijuana, cartels are growing fruit. While this may appear to diffuse organized crime, the cartels’ seizure of the avocado industry threatens the quality of life of Mexican civilians. The dangers stem from the avocado industry’s comparatively low point of entry. Illegal drug trade involves smuggling large amounts of harmful and highly addictive substances across international borders. Drug traffickers operate under pressure from the DEA, Customs, and Border Patrol. The business is high risk and high reward, as substance abuse and addiction guarantees demand. Growth of avocados requires land, proper conditions, and a significant amount of labor. This, in comparison to the production and transport of narcotics, appears to be relatively accessible. The production of

Food and violence form an unlikely pair, but the pursuit of money and power emulsify the two. Is the avocado I just purchased a symbol of life, or does it mark the danger of the current situation in Mexico? These issues, once fully independent of each other, are now inseparable.

avocados doesn’t need to be done in secrecy or under the scrutiny of government organizations. These operations are low risk and high reward, and there’s nothing indicating a foreseeable drop in demand for avocados. Both of these factors make the cartels’ monopolization of avocado production especially threatening.

Dozens of organizations are battling for control of the market, but one of the most dominant is the Viagras Cartel. The Viagras were once allied with the Mexican government, and joined cartel resistance groups funded by the Mexican state to protect themselves from punishment. After disbanding the operations of notorious crime lords, the Mexican Government changed their stance on their relations with vigilante defense groups (such as the Viagras), declaring their actions illegal. Once these groups shifted underground, they felt abandoned by the officials that previously supported them. Illegal drug trade operations revived themselves, and their previous government relationships maintained close ties to local police forces. The revival of criminal activity conveniently occurred at the same time as America’s avocado obsession. As major cartels separated, smaller ones emerged, and they attempted to make money wherever possible. They targeted local, vulnerable populations with access to avocado crop.

Cartels battle for control of civilian land. The Viagras forced residents of Uruapan to pay members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel $250 per hectare in “protection fees,” for their avocado orchards. When residents resisted, the cartel stormed the area, initiating several hours of near-deadly gunfire. In addition to initiating violence, the cartels are targeting residents’ means to life as they monopolize their land, water, and forests. Climbing trees to pick avocados is steady work, paying around $60 per day, but cartel members force teams of avocado-pickers to work for free, with guns trained on them as they scale trees. Cartels hijack

trucks loaded with crates of fruit, and refusal to comply puts employees’ lives at risk. Entire packing plants have been burned down, and cartels have gone so far as to kidnap the children of prominent business leaders. On all levels, the avocado business has become increasingly dangerous to workers’ wages and lives.

The Mexican Government has done little to solve the problem, despite the demand for action. As the main consumers of Mexican avocados, Americans must take action to address cartels’ participation in avocado agriculture. At first glance, boycotting the avocado seems like a simple fix, but ridding many Mexican families of their main source of income would create another problem. If the demand for avocados were to drop, the cartels would notice the decrease in value in the market, and seek another source of income. While this could potentially decrease direct violence between cartels and farmers, those who live off of avocados would be left with no work. Owners of farms would be left with a surplus of avocados that would not be sold. If this hypothetical boycott were to end and the demand for avocados were to rise again, the cartels would be able to easily regain control over the industry. The best way for consumers to directly discourage the control of the avocado industry is to buy Fairtrade certified produce. Fairtrade avocados are marked with Equal Exchange stickers, which guarantee that they are grown and packaged by collectives that operate outside the cartels. While slightly more expensive, choosing Fairtrade produce guarantees that all employees receive a standard minimum wage and premium pay that they can reinvest into their communities.

Food and violence form an unlikely pair, but the pursuit of money and power emulsify the two. Does the avocado lose its symbolic strength for life when we consider its current role as the driving force of certain deadly interactions? These issues, once fully independent of each other, are now inseparable.