Thousands of acres of forest razed at a breakneck pace. Stolen water and drained aquifers. Abductions and killings.
All of this is being driven by the United States’ billion-dollar demand for Mexico’s avocados. The trade is so lucrative that it has for years fueled a rush to illegally clear forests and drawn in cartels, who extort growers by threatening violence.
Traditional efforts to stop the deforestation and criminal activity have largely failed, so a group now hopes to use the market itself to change the industry’s destructive dynamics.
All of this is being driven by the United States’ billion-dollar demand for Mexico’s avocados. The trade is so lucrative that it has for years fueled a rush to illegally clear forests and drawn in cartels, who extort growers by threatening violence.
Traditional efforts to stop the deforestation and criminal activity have largely failed, so a group now hopes to use the market itself to change the industry’s destructive dynamics.
The…
