Holy Guacamole!
Back in 2015, when I was pursuing my master's in Sweden, everyday was an opportunity for a cultural exchange. Be it having communal dinners or learning quirks of different nationalities, it was one of the most exciting things about studying abroad. After umpteen international dinners, I came to a resounding conclusion that Mexicans have the closest resemblance to Indian food (atleast in the spice level that was as low as the temperatures in Sweden)
It was in one of those dinners where I was introduced to one of the best dips by my Mexican friends - Guacamole. It was delicious, quick to make (very important factor for a lazy post grad student), made with minimal ingredients and on top of it healthy! What more does one need. Henceforth, avocados became a personal favorite and a common purchase in the grocery shopping list.
But when I moved back to India, I quickly realized how costly and scarce it was. I had to forgo them but was equally surprised that for a relatively tropical temperature, India had a very limited availability of avocados.
Over time, I realized that I was seeing avocados everywhere, on toasts, in smoothies, in desserts and Indians being Indians introduced them in chaats as well! It soon became the favorite of the hip and aesthetic instagrammable cafes, and a best seller on hyper fast grocery deliveries. The human need for seeking social media validation is also a good motivator for the promotion of Avocados in India.
I am no different. I too fell for the sales tactics of Zepto and ended up ordering Avocados left, right and center, without thinking twice. Until one day, I saw something in the product highlights - Avocados are sourced from Tanzania or Australia which led me to random googling and boom - plethora of information on India's avocado consumption habits, Avocados' growing global craze and how drug cartels are capitalizing on this growing business. Yes you read it right, legit Mexican drug cartels have grabbed onto this growing business opportunity like a Shark Tank judge!
India's import for avocados are doubling every year, and given it is a hub of vegetarian food with a growing young and aspirational population, this trend is not shocking. The figures of the first three months in the current year point towards a consumption of atleast 8,000 tonnes this year.
Now you may say, what it has to do with Sustainability, Pranav? Everything. While, people on a plant based/ vegan diets are already consuming climate friendly food, there are some vegetables/ cash crops that are harmful for the environment (still not as much as processed meat). Avocados are one of them.
Majority of the avocados consumed in the world is produced in Mexico. While it is consumed mainly in North America and Europe, Asia is emerging as a good potential region. Each year, 11 billion freaking pounds of avocado are consumed around the world. The craze is such that during "The Super Bowl" in USA, one truck full of avocados is exported every 6 minutes from Mexico!
The problem is deeper than this. Only one region "Michoacán" produces 5 out of 10 avocados globally. This unprecedented demand comes with its typical environmental costs. To ensure avocado production increases, large parcels of lands are used only for its production and shrubs and other trees are cut to ensure no one casts a shadow on avocado plantations. This also leads to depletion of nutrients in the soil. Not only this, extreme weather events like torrential rains, temperature increase and tendency to be a cyclone prone region has also increased.
When it comes to water use, approx. 9.5 billion liters (9,500,000,000 liters - look at the number of zeroes) is used daily to ensure appropriate production. That is equivalent to 3800 Olympic size swimming pools. This has led to extraction of large amounts of water from local aquifers making them prone to minor earthquakes. From 5th Jan to 15th Feb 2020, ~3200 seismic activities were recorded in the region. Furthermore, a pack of only 2 avocados ends up causing an upwards of 840g of CO2 emissions, majorly due to the transportation involved. The story is further complicated by a strong presence of drug cartels in the central region of Michoacán which produces?80% of Mexican avocados.?
Now you may be thinking, all of this seems very dark for a simple and humble vegetable. Now imagine the consequences of processed meat industry and other plantation cash crops like Palm Oil, Cocoa, Coffee, Banana etc. One may ask, should we just stop eating avocados altogether? This is never the solution.
One of the best ways is to look for local alternatives. Turns out, India has always been growing Avocados as Indian Butterfruits ever since it was introduced in 1906 through Sri Lanka by American missionaries in South India. It has adapted to the local Indian climate, features slightly less fat content, and has a nuttier flavor profile. Given, it has become a trend to prides themselves on being a sustainable shopper nowadays, doing a bit of research (especially with Google and Chat GPT readily available) on things we eat can be a starting point for everyone.
With the growing economical conditions for the nation, the government is taking active steps in enhancing trade on multiple items with different countries. But it should ensure aspects like sustainability metrics of the produce are also taken care of. A "Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism" for Avocados and its like seems laughable at first but can be a reality in the years to come.
I am not going to lie, writing this article was difficult for me, because I was constantly craving guacamole and I apologize if I made you crave some too. But, if eating less of the buttery deliciousness is what it will take to keep the planet green and thriving, then perhaps it's a small price to pay for a future where avocados and sustainability can happily coexist!
Articles/ Research referred to for this article: