Earth Michoacanworld leader in production avocadoIt ends. “I hope it’s not the crash that makes us understand.”said Michoacán agronomist Nacho Simon in response to the huge harvests that continue to grow due to the enormous appetite of the United States.
This Sunday Kansas City Chiefs And San Francisco 49ers will play a major role in the release Super Cup LVIII and the spectators’ tables will be full of guacamole, an avocado dish mainly imported from Mexico, Michoacán to be exact.
In the late 1990s, the state of Michoacán managed to meet U.S. requirements to export avocados to its neighboring country, and volumes have been growing since then, with Mexican customs officials estimating that by this year’s Super Bowl, About 130 thousand tons will be sent.
As a consequence, Michoacán’s landscapes have changed radically in recent years. Where once there were lush pine forests, there are now endless acres of avocado plantations; Where there were lakes, there are now almost no puddles left, and some have even dried up completely.
Farmers and experts claim that there is too much cultivation on the lands of Michoacan and, above all, the type of gardens, in which deforestation and monoculture abound, contribute to the approaching collapse.
“When the market protection that the United States had given California avocado trees began to weaken a little, they began to open the border to certain groups in Mexico. They began to adapt to the norms of the United States, according to which “Remove the citrus fruits, just the avocados, remove the peaches. (…) Everything here used to be full of forest.”says Simon from the headquarters of his company Gaia, which promotes organic agriculture, located in the municipality of Uruapan.
The engineer explains that by US standards they want “clean” avocados, even without weeds at the bottom, so herbicides are used that end up in the groundwater.
Added to this is “water depletion” due to the properties of avocados, which require thousand liters produce only one kilogram, unlike forests such as pine, which contribute to humidity.
The expert added.
We demand water, but in the end we get a sponge that brought water (forests). This is a contradiction of human existence, this is something that, unfortunately, we have not learned.
Green Gold Survival
In its turn, Cuauhtemoc Monterochemical engineer and owner of several orchards in his native Tansitaro, the city where mass avocado cultivation began, and for four years owner of La Luna Ranch in the municipality of Morelia, walks among the trees and explains that this ranch has not resorted to deforestation or destruction other types.
Avocado cultivation must be done in such a way that we can live and coexist with all the native plants and trees of the region. There are those who come in and destroy pine trees, oak trees and everything to plant avocados and are faced with serious soil disease problems.
Cuauhtemoc Montero, chemical engineer.
Both, with decades of experience, believe Michoacan is reaching its limit.
Simon, he said.
We broke through as far as we could (…) As they call it “green gold”, everyone wants some of this gold, but the truth is that these are illusions of the market.
Given this, they assured, the only option is to emphasize that if the current model continues, the next generations will have no land to cultivate.
Meanwhile, Montero commented on the situation.
Avocado growers have to take care of the environment, we have to be socially responsible, environmentally responsible, economically responsible, because if we don’t take care of that, the business model can fail.
Regarding the responsibilities of state and federal authorities, the owner believes that Mexican environmental and forest management laws are adequate, but Corruption fuels uncontrolled deforestation and that there is no situation of equality when it comes to land use reclassification.
Finally, Simon concluded.
I continue this fight and do not lose hope because there are farmers who are doing this (changing the way they grow avocados). I know it’s going to be a struggle, but I just hope it’s not the collapse that makes us realize.
(according to information from EFE)
Source: Aristegui Noticias
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
