Violence, death and stolen land: people need to know the true cost of an avocado | Claudia Ignacio Alvarez

"I grew up in San Andres Tzirondaro, a Purepecha community on the shores of Lake Patzcuaro in the Mexican state of Michoacan. My childhood was shaped by water, forests and music. The lake fed us. The forest protected us. In the afternoons, people gathered in the local square while bands passed through playing pirekua, our traditional music. That way of life is now under threat as our land is extracted for profit."

"Michoacan is one of Mexico's leading export states for agricultural products. Avocados and berries are promoted internationally as symbols of healthy, sustainable consumption. Yet behind this lies a reality of land dispossession, environmental destruction and violence. Most avocados and berries from Michoacan are exported to the US, though some also reach European markets, including the UK. In San Andres Tzirondaro, agribusiness companies rent land that is legally communal. This land is meant to guarantee food for our people, not profits for export."

San Andres Tzirondaro is a Purepecha community on the shores of Lake Patzcuaro whose life is shaped by water, forests and traditional music. Agribusinesses rent legally communal land to grow avocados and berries for export, diverting water from the lake through installed pipes and contributing to severe drought that nearly dried the lake and eliminated local fish. Avocado orchards consume enormous water, replace forest biodiversity and expand after deliberately set fires. Land dispossession and environmental destruction have been accompanied by threats, killings and disappearances. Communities face corporate interests, organized criminal actors and a state that repeatedly fails to protect Indigenous rights. Similar threats affect Nahua communities opposing mining and steel projects without consultation.

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