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Much of the food we eat goes through
a pretty incredible journey to get to us.
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This is especially true of avocados.
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They don't grow just anywhere.
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They need tons of sunlight
and a ton of rain,
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which is why about 3/4
of the world's avocados
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come from Mexico,
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mostly from the state of Michoacan.
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Americans are eating
about three times more avocados
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than they did almost 20 years ago.
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Higher demand is good news for Michoacan,
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but when a region booms,
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forces often much shadier
aim to get in on the action.
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And trust me,
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that's part of your food's journey too.
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CHAIN REACTION
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(Michael) Avocados are
big business in Mexico.
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The state of Michoacan exports
the majority of them
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to the tune of almost
3 billion dollars a year.
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I'm someone that really enjoys avocados.
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The people here live off the avocado.
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(Michael) Locals call it green gold.
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Over the past 20 years,
America's obsession with the avocado
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has driven industry profits and
lifted many people here out of poverty.
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Last year, the United States imported
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a record-breaking 2.1 billion pounds
of the fruitfrom Mexico.
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"The green gold."
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This was a very poor
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and f**ked up region,
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but people have improved
their economic situation.
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(Michael) And these days, money
in this green gold comes at a price.
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Criminal organizations like,
the Cartel de Jalisco and Las Viagras
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have set their sights on the fruit
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as a way to diversify
their illicit portfolios
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by extorting growers and stealing land.
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We're heading up to meet up
with a group of people
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who have organized to defend this land,
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defend this area from cartels
and criminal groups.
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We're coming up to their checkpoint.
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You can see a guy standing out here
with an M4 rifle,
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a sniper up there--
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You're going to see
people like this all over town
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trying to protect this community.
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Everyone gather.
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Look, right now,
I'll leave with the officers.
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We'll do a crime prevention patrol.
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We'll check that our boundaries are good.
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(Michael) Hector "Tata" Saavedra is
the commander of a local defense group
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that rose up against
the Knights Templar Cartel
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when they tried to take over large swaths
of Michoacan avocado orchards in 2013.
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At the beginning, we defended ourselves
with machetes, sticks, rocks...
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We blocked every way to access our town.
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No one gets out, no one gets in.
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This was our best defense.
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Things are a bit different today.
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Close the convoy at about 50 meters
for each vehicle, please.
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Copiado [inaudible]
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We're in the heart of
the avocado production zone.
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Organized crime is all around us.
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There have been situations
where we've been ambushed.
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But it's our job to keep doing this.
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(Michael) Last year, Tata and his men
found themselves in a firefight
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with members of the Cartel de Jalisco.
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(bullets ricochetting)
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The shootout lasted close to an hour.
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The cartel's gunmen eventually retreated,
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but not before Tata and his men
captured one of their wounded.
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When Tata and his team head out on patrol,
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it's people like Virgilio Agustin Serrano,
a local-farmer-turned-tower-guard,
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who manages the checkpoints.
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I'm going to f**king devour a rabbit.
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Look at this damn rabbit.
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Spicy?
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No
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It's not too spicy?
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How often do you eat rabbit?
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Only when gringos come to visit.
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(laughter)
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(Michael) What kind of attention
did the avocado industry
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bring to this community?
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Our town used to be ignored.
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But since the avocado production started,
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the town has become known
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and more developed.
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(Michael) So these avocados
are ready to cut?
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(Hector) This will be ready to cut
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at the beginning of December.
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Hector's land produces
roughly 20 tons of avocados,
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and at 40 pesos a [box],
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a farm like Virgilio's can rake in
some 23,000 dollars per harvest.
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There's a lot of people in the US
that love these things,
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but I don't think they realize
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what all of Michoacan goes through
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to not only harvest them,
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but to keep you and the community safe
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from the cartels and criminal groups.
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What's your message to them to remember
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when they eat an avocado?
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Producing avocados is very hard.
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I'm not talking about hard work,
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but it takes a lot of organization.
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In some case, it costs blood or lives.
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Don't stop eating avocados.
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You can rest assured
it's a quality product
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and that it's produced
by Mexicans from Michoacan
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and indigenous hands.
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When's the last time
you actually got to enjoy one?
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I ate one this morning.
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I constantly eat avocados.
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I eat the ones I produce.
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I eat them every day.
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So, definitely the freshest
piece of avocado I have ever eaten.
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Cheers!
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It's good, it's very good, yeah.
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Yes, good.
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I don't know if I should eat
this whole thing, though.
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I'm allergic. (laughter)
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(Michael) For you, personally,
what are you protecting?
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(Hector) I'm personally
protecting my family.
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This is how we normally practice.
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Are you afraid that things
will go back to the way they were?
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Things may go back as they were.
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But let's hope not.
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Fear has always been with us.
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This is the reason we got organized.
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We wouldn't have done it
if we were not afraid.