Michoacán, Mexico
How is it produced?
Avocados are produces on many farms ranging in size. Many farms supply the product for export.
Describe the supply chain to the store shelf in Canada:
Research into the supply chain of avocados has identified the governments of the USA and Mexico, transnational corporations, regulators, non-government organizations, and the media (Cho et al., p. 2). Additionally, there are thousands of small scale farmers, all from Michoacán, who sell their crops to packers and exporters with whom they rarely have a contract (Cho et al., p. 5).
What is the power balance between the producer and seller?
The farmers rarely have contracts with the exporters and must offer the best price to the packers in order to have their product exported. Additionally, the money earned from the avocado boom has not significantly improved the lives of the farm workers.
Can you recommend changes to the system to improve the balance?
More research into the supply chain to link the information with the people (governments) who can effect change.
More labeling so consumers can make more choices beyond simply organic and non-organic.
A return to communal land ownership to address the inequality in the region.
References/Resources:
Cho, K., Goldstein, B., Gounaridis, D., & Newell, J. P. (2021). Where does your
guacamole come from? Detecting deforestation associated with the export of
avocados from Mexico to the United States. Journal of Environmental
Management, 278(Part 1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111482
Denvir, A., Arima, E. Y., González-Rodríguez, A., & Young, K. R. (2022). Ecological and
human dimensions of avocado expansion in México: Towards supply-chain
sustainability. AMBIO – A Journal of the Human Environment, 51(1), 152–166.
https://doi-org.ezproxy.tru.ca/10.1007/s13280-021-01538-6
Hattam, C. E., Lacombe, D. J., & Holloway, G. J. (2012). Organic Certification, Export
Market Access and the Impacts of Policy: Bayesian Estimation of Avocado
Smallholder “Times-to-Organic Certification” in Michoacan Mexico. Agricultural
Economics, 43(4), 441–457.
Alfonso De la Vega-Rivera, & Leticia Merino-Pérez. (2021). Socio-Environmental Impacts
of the Avocado Boom in the Meseta Purépecha, Michoacán, Mexico. Sustainability,
13(7247), 7247. https://doi-org.ezproxy.tru.ca/10.3390/su13137247
Trenda, E. (2022). Leading countries of destination of avocado exported from Mexico in
2021. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1069510/leading-countries-
destination-avocado-exports-from-mexico/