Mexico’s avocado boom destroys indigenous communities and forests in michoacán

The global craving for avocados is fueling an environmental and human rights crisis in Mexico’s Michoacán state, where Indigenous Purépecha communities are losing their ancestral lands to industrial agriculture. Claudia Ignacio Álvarez, who grew up in the lakeside community of San Andrés Tziróndaro, describes how her childhood world of pristine waters, protective forests, and traditional pirekua music is disappearing as land is seized for profit.

The transformation of Michoacán into the world’s avocado capital has come at a devastating cost. What was once a region where Indigenous communities lived sustainably off Lake Pátzcuaro and surrounding forests has become a landscape of monoculture plantations. The intensive farming practices required for avocado production are draining water resources, destroying biodiversity, and displacing communities that have stewarded these lands for generations.

Behind every avocado consumed in Western markets lies a complex web of environmental destruction and social injustice. The industry’s expansion has not only stripped away natural ecosystems but also severed Indigenous peoples’ deep cultural connections to their territory. As Álvarez notes, her community’s way of life—where the lake provided sustenance and forests offered protection—is now under siege from extractive practices that prioritize short-term profits over long-term sustainability and Indigenous rights.

This crisis highlights the urgent need for consumers to understand the true environmental and social costs of their food choices, particularly as demand for “superfood” crops continues to drive unsustainable farming practices in vulnerable regions worldwide.