Have you ever wondered what journey your avocado takes before it lands on your breakfast plate? We're not talking about shipping routes or ripening processes. We're talking about something far darker — something that rarely makes it to the nutrition labels or Instagram captions.
Welcome to FreeAstroScience, where we believe that understanding our world means looking beyond the surface. Today, we're peeling back the layers on one of the world's trendiest superfoods. This isn't meant to make you feel guilty. It's meant to make you aware. Because the sleep of reason breeds monsters — and sometimes, those monsters hide behind the most innocent-looking things.
Stay with us until the end. What you'll learn might change how you see that slice of toast forever.
Why Do They Call Avocado "Green Gold"?
The nickname sounds almost romantic, doesn't it? Green gold. It conjures images of lush orchards, healthy fats, and million-dollar brunch aesthetics.
But in Mexico — the world's largest avocado producer — that name carries a much heavier meaning.
The avocado industry generates over $3 billion annually in exports . That's serious money. The kind of money that attracts attention from people you don't want noticing your business.
In the United States alone, people consume more than 1 million tons of avocados every year . Europe's appetite keeps growing too. We've fallen in love with guacamole, avocado toast, and those pretty green smoothie bowls.
Here's the thing: our love affair has consequences. And they're playing out thousands of miles away from our kitchens.
When Drug Cartels Discovered a New Cash Crop
Mexican drug cartels aren't stupid. They're brutal, yes. But they're also opportunistic businesspeople.
When they saw how much money flowed through avocado farms, they pivoted. The same infrastructure they'd built for heroin and other drugs? They redirected it toward orchards and shipping routes .
Think about that for a moment. The trucks, the networks, the enforcers — all repurposed for fruit.
The state of Michoacán supplies 80% of all avocados destined for American tables . And criminal organizations like the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) and Nueva Familia Michoacán have dug their claws deep into every level of the supply chain.
From farmers to truckers to sellers — nobody escapes the squeeze.
The "Protection" Racket
They call them cuotas — protection fees. Pay up, or face torture. Or death.
Farmers sometimes shell out up to $2,500 per hectare just to keep working their own land . Miss a payment? The consequences are unimaginable.
This isn't abstract. This is real people waking up every day, wondering if they'll make it home.
The Human Cost: Mayors, Farmers, and Defenders
On Día de los Muertos 2025 — the Day of the Dead — the violence reached a new low.
Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodríguez, the mayor of Uruapan, was murdered . Uruapan isn't just any city. It's the heart of Mexico's avocado trade.
Manzo Rodríguez had been fighting against cartel interference. He paid the ultimate price for standing up.
He wasn't the first. In the state of Michoacán alone, three mayors have been killed. Dozens of human rights defenders have been assassinated. Hundreds more have received threats .
Bodies on Display
Back in 2019, something changed. For the first time, bodies started appearing on overpasses — hung or piled in gruesome displays .
But here's what shocked investigators: these victims weren't connected to drug trafficking.
They were connected to avocado.
The fruit had become as dangerous as cocaine.
Vanishing Forests and Dying Lakes
The violence is horrific. But there's another crisis unfolding in parallel — one that affects everything from local wildlife to the water people drink.
Forests Falling at Alarming Rates
Every year, nearly 17,000 acres of forest are cleared in Michoacán to plant new avocado orchards . That's roughly 26 square miles of trees — gone. Annually.
Why? Because global demand keeps rising. And cartels don't care about environmental permits.
According to Mexico's National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR), an estimated 80% of orchards in Michoacán were created illegally . No oversight. No regulations. Just chainsaws and greed.
Lakes Running Dry
Remember Lake Cuitzeo? It used to be one of Mexico's largest lakes.
Now it's almost completely dried up .
Avocado trees are thirsty. Really thirsty. Growing a single kilogram of avocados requires hundreds of liters of water. When you multiply that by millions of tons of production, entire ecosystems collapse.
Chile faces similar problems. Monocultures are draining water resources, sparking environmental and social crises across regions .
Poisoned Water
It gets worse. Chemical pesticides used on avocado farms have seeped into groundwater . The same water local communities drink.
People are getting sick. The contamination affects everything.
The Numbers That Should Concern Us All
Sometimes raw data tells a story better than words. Here's what we're looking at:
| Metric | Figure | Time Period |
|---|---|---|
| Annual US avocado consumption | Over 1 million tons | Per year |
| Export revenue from Mexican avocados | $3+ billion | Annually |
| Forest cleared for orchards (Michoacán) | ~17,000 acres | Per year |
| Avocado-related homicides in Mexico | 2,600+ deaths | 2016–2021 |
| Illegally created orchards in Michoacán | 80% | Early 2000s–present |
| Soldiers deployed after mayor's assassination | 720+ | December 2025 |
| Protection fee per hectare | Up to $2,500 | Ongoing |
Between 2016 and 2021 — exactly when avocados exploded in popularity worldwide — violence spiked . More than 2,600 people were killed in Mexico in connection with this trade.
That's not a coincidence. It's cause and effect.
Who Bears the Responsibility?
It's tempting to point fingers solely at Mexico. Corruption. Weak governance. Cartel power.
But that's only part of the story.
Claudia Ignacio Álvarez, from the Red Solidaria de Derechos Humanos (Human Rights Solidarity Network), put it bluntly in The Guardian:
"The responsibility doesn't fall on Mexico alone. The United States — the main destination for Michoacán avocados — plays a central role in supporting this model. European and British markets are also involved through imports, corporate finance, and commercial relationships that prioritize profit while ignoring local conditions."
We're all connected in this.
Every avocado we buy sends a price signal. Every purchase tells producers: keep growing. And when demand outstrips ethical supply chains, corners get cut. People get hurt.
Álvarez's conclusion haunts us: "If the international community continues enjoying the benefits of extraction while ignoring its costs, the violence in places like Michoacán won't stop. It will simply stay hidden."
What Can Conscious Consumers Do?
We're not here to tell you to never eat an avocado again. That's not realistic, and it probably wouldn't solve the structural problems anyway.
But awareness matters. Choices matter.
Here are a few things to consider:
Look for certifications. Some organizations track fair-trade and sustainably-grown produce. They're not perfect, but they're better than nothing.
Buy local when possible. If you live somewhere avocados can grow (parts of California, Spain, Israel), locally-sourced options may carry less baggage.
Reduce waste. The avocados we throw away still carry all that environmental and human cost. Only buy what you'll actually eat.
Ask questions. Pressure supermarkets. Ask where their avocados come from. Companies respond when customers demand transparency.
Stay informed. Knowledge is power. Share what you've learned.
A Final Thought
We started by asking a simple question: What journey does your avocado take?
The answer, as we've seen, is complicated. It involves economics, ecology, violence, and power. It crosses borders and implicates all of us — consumers, corporations, governments.
That green fruit on your plate carries weight far beyond its nutritional profile.
Does this mean every avocado is "blood avocado"? No. But enough of them are that we can't pretend otherwise.
At FreeAstroScience.com, we believe in keeping our minds active. We believe in asking hard questions, even when the answers are uncomfortable. Because the sleep of reason breeds monsters — and sometimes those monsters disguise themselves as health foods.
Thank you for reading until the end. You're part of a community that values truth over convenience. Come back soon. There's always more to learn, more to question, and more to understand.
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