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The Conversation
The Conversation
Environment
Viridiana Hernández Fernández, Assistant Professor of Latin American Environmental History, University of Iowa

Avocados are a ‘green gold’ export for Mexico, but growing them is harming forests and waters

Harvesting avocados in Uruapan, in the Mexican state of Michoacan. Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images

Consumers’ love for avocados in the United States seems to know no bounds. From 2001 through 2020, consumption of this fruit laden with healthy fats tripled nationwide, rising to over 8 pounds per person yearly.

On average, 90% of those avocados are grown in the southwest Mexican state of Michoacán. As with other foods that have become trendy, such as acai berries, or widely used, such as palm oil, intensive avocado production is causing significant environmental damage.

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