Tag: Policy
Climate change and agricultural workers in the Michoacán avocado industry: Opportunities and trade-offs in coupling plant and human health for sustainability
The rapidly expanding demand for avocado production places significant strain on agricultural communities and associated ecosystems. As temperature increases and water scarcity worsens, the avocado, a high-water demanding crop, faces declining yields and increased tree mortality. Deforestation, monoculture farming, and pesticide use further threaten interconnected landscapes, reducing biodiversity, degrading soil quality, and devaluing natural capital. Michoacán, Mexico, the largest producer of
Foresight to 2035 in cold climate fruit trees: scenario alignment, Delphi method, and complement with Python libraries
"Cold-climate fruit trees, such as avocado, blackberry, curuba, lulo, and goldenberry, are economically and socially significant in Andean countries. This study employs foresight methodologies to support strategic planning, prioritize innovations, and reduce uncertainty in decision-making within this agro-industrial chain. Scenario analysis and the Delphi method were applied, analyzing 34 variables using MICMAC, identifying nine as key. Three future objectives were formulated and assessed with key
Changing food waste regimes in Africa’s transition to export-oriented production: the case of Tanzanian avocado
"African nations are increasingly focusing on exporting high-value crops. However, a major challenge exists: high rates of food waste within supply chains. The problem is often seen as a technological issue—a lack of proper infrastructure and coordination creates inefficiencies. This research takes a different perspective, focusing on social relations within the supply chain. It uses the concept of “food waste regimes” to understand the underlying structures, relationships, and systems that
Forest cover change and land tenure change in Mexico’s avocado region: Is community forestry related to reduced deforestation for high value crops?
Forest cover change in highland pine-oak forests of Michoacan, Mexico is due to a process of conversion of natural forests to avocado orchards. Privately-owned avocado orchards are found on land that was common forest before the 1992 Reform of the Mexican Constitution. We ask how forest cover change was facilitated by policy changes that affected land tenure rules and existing community forestry programs. We use a comparative case study of four communities, an analysis of forest cover change, and
Socio-economic and technological typology of avocado cv. Hass farms from Antioquia (Colombia)
A typology of avocado cv. Hass farms was constructed based on information collected from productive units in Antioquia, Colombia. The study aimed to provide key information about the farms for those involved in the design of programs and public policies directed to growers. The data were scrutinized through Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) and Cluster Analysis. The sample was made up of 214 growers of the crop. Quantitative and qualitative variables were employed for the MCA, which rendered
Socio-Environmental Impacts of the Avocado Boom in the Meseta Purépecha, Michoacán, Mexico
The rapid expansion of avocado orchards in the Meseta Purépecha, in the state of Michoacán in central Mexico, has mostly been driven by the increasing demand of North American consumers in the context of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). While the cultivation of avocado has produced regional economic growth, economic profits are strongly concentrated, notably in the hands of American agribusiness, while its regional and local environmental impacts increasingly affect indigenous and