Is eating avocado really bad for the environment?

“Your beloved avocado is bad for the environment and is often mired in economic and social problems.”

The infamous story of avocados in Mexico rings a bell to all the avocado-lovers. Water shortage, deforestation in Michoacán and drug cartel intimidation, these are the new tags to avocado, other than superfood. How true is that and should we stop eating avocados?

Avocado is super healthy
Is Avocado a fruit, vegetable or berry? What is important is that it is delicious and super healthy. On top of the vitamins, minerals, healthy fats and fiber, it is also rich in bioactive compounds like carotenoids and phenolic compounds which are neuroprotective, and cardioprotective.

It is a staple in Mexican cuisine – the butter for every sandwich, topping on a taco or just a side dish. Now, it has become the staple superfood in the world.

Trend on avocados consumption
In the last 15 years, the demand for avocados has tripled. Due to high economic incentive, Mexican farmers are growing more avocados to keep up with the global demand. 1.6 million tons of avocado come from Mexico which is more than 30% of global production. The chance is every 10 avocados you buy, there are 3 from Mexico. In the United States, their reliance on Mexico is even up to 8 avocados for every 10 purchased.

Other than the economic upside…
Indeed, this avocado boom has lifted many families from poverty in Mexico but other than that, it also has other impacts.

1,700 acres (688 hectares) of being deforested annually?
Due to the recent trend, approximately 20,000 hectares of forest in Michoacán (Mexico) are converted to agricultural use each year. It was estimated that the expansion of avocado plantation contributed to 1,700 acres (688 hectares) of deforestation annually. (A study by the University of Miami Law School states)

How bad is it?
90% of the tropical forest in Lázaro Cárdenas, Aquila y Coahuayana — municipalities in the state of Michoacán, Mexico — and one-fifth of deforestation is associated with Avocado plantation. One-fourth of avocado plantations are in Key Biological Areas (KBAs), which are defined as areas vital to the preservation of threatened species. Mexico is ranked the fifth most biodiverse country on earth with more than 450 species of mammals, 1000 birds, 330 amphibians, and 640 reptiles.

3,800 Olympic pools of water required?
Also, the massive avocado plantation needs around 9.5 billion litres of water daily to produce avocado – equivalent to 3,800 Olympic pools – requiring a massive extraction of water from Michoacán aquifers.

Can you imagine excessive water extraction from these aquifers is causing small earthquakes?
From 5 January to 15 February, 3,247 seismic movements were recorded in Uruapan municipality and surroundings, the most intensive avocado-producing area in the world. According to local authorities, avocado-related water extraction has opened up subsoil caverns that could be causing these movements.

But is avocado really the culprit?

Twenty gallons of water on a daily basis for a single tree is more than what other fruits consume. According to the global scarcity report, the avocado “requires four times more water than the production of a kilo of oranges and ten times of that of a kilo of tomato.”

Does avocado young plant need a lot of water?

First, in our experience, our avocado trees do not require so much water but I have not taken any data systematically
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Second, the thirst for water is not a problem if it could be fulfilled by the natural rainfall. In Mexico, the problem comes from the theft of water sources from the local community.

Is avocado environmentally unfriendly?
Avocado trees exist as any other trees on this planet, they serve their roles. It is the way of cultivation that is the main culprit. The massive scale of monoculture concentrated in Michoacán leads to serious deforestation of pine forest that changed the habitat which even reduced the water retention ability of the water. Imagine the amount of water in the soil is stretched even thinner by many more avocados, therefore the thirst of each avocado is more pronounced. Amount of water can never be isolated from the health of soil.

It is harming the local community
Due to the highly profitable nature of avocado, it attracts avocado ranchers to cut down forests of pine trees for their avocado plantation. It also draws the attention of the drug cartels. They basically threaten the avocado farmer to pay extortion by violence and intimidation.

Avocado is NOT the culprit
Now, it is clear that it is not avocado the culprit, it is the intensive plantation, the theft of water sources, the deforestation and the drug cartels the cause of tainting the super healthy avocado! When you do not know where your food comes from, this is how organized crime can come into the picture.

HK is no small player in avocado market
Hong Kong is one of the main importing markets of avocado, which we consume 6 avocado per head annually for our 8 million population. While in Japan, the consumption is only 1 per head and Europe 2 per head. We are on par with American consumption in which they import 7 avocados per head.

What can we, consumers, do?
None of us wants to involve in or support the organized criminal activities, so the easy way out is to know where your avocado comes from and know your farmers. A small step for consumers, a big change for the world.