Socio-Environmental Impacts of the Avocado Boom in the Meseta Purépecha, Michoacán, Mexico

The rapid expansion of avocado orchards in the Meseta Purépecha, in the state of Michoacán in central Mexico, has mostly been driven by the increasing demand of North American consumers in the context of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). While the cultivation of avocado has produced r...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sustainability 2021-07, Vol.13 (13), p.7247
Main Authors: De la Vega-Rivera, Alfonso, Merino-Pérez, Leticia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agribusiness
Biodiversity
Community
Consumption
Economic development
Economic growth
Endangered & extinct species
Expansion
Free trade
GDP
Gross Domestic Product
Indigenous peoples
Industrial production
Inequality
International trade
Land use
Orchards
Population
Poverty
Public health
Regional development
Rural areas
Rural communities
Rural environments
Sustainability
Violence
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Summary:The rapid expansion of avocado orchards in the Meseta Purépecha, in the state of Michoacán in central Mexico, has mostly been driven by the increasing demand of North American consumers in the context of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). While the cultivation of avocado has produced regional economic growth, economic profits are strongly concentrated, notably in the hands of American agribusiness, while its regional and local environmental impacts increasingly affect indigenous and rural communities, the most vulnerable groups in that region. Our work describes the diverse impacts of avocado industrial production on local livelihoods, communal rights, and public health and also reviews the policies and incentives that have favored avocado expansion in the Purépecha region. We compared the land-use change and socio-ecological deterioration associated with avocado expansion in the majority of the Meseta with the indigenous community of San Juan Nuevo Parangaricutiro also in that region, where strong community institutions have enabled San Juan to limit avocado expansion and maintain the communal forests.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su13137247