WEBVTT

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Much of the food we eat
goes through a pretty incredible journey

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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 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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<i>Avocados are big business in Mexico.</i>

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<i>The state of Michoacan exports
the majority of them</i>

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<i>to the tune of almost 
3 billion dollars a year.</i>

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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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<i>Locals call it green gold.</i>

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<i>Over the past 20 years,
America's obsession with avocado</i>

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<i>has driven industry profits and
lifted many people here out of poverty.</i>

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<i>Last year, the United States imported</i>

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<i>a record-breaking 
2.1 billion pounds of the fruit</i>

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<i>from Mexico.</i>

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"The green gold."

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This was a very poor and f**ked up region,

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but people have improved
their economic situation.

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<i>And these days, money as green gold
comes at a price.</i>

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<i>Criminal organizations,
ike Cartel de Jalisco en [ ]</i>

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<i>have set their sights on the fruit</i>

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<i>as a way to diversify
their illicit portfolios</i>

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<i>by extorting growers and stealing land.</i>

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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, 
defend this area,

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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, 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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<i>Hector "Tata" Saavedra is 
the commander of a local defense group</i>

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<i>that rose up against
the KnightsTemplar Cartel</i>

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<i>When it tried to take over large swaths
of Michoacan avocado orchards in 2013.</i>

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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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<i>Copiado [inaudible]</i>

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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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<i>Last year, Tata and his men
found themselves in a firefight</i>

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<i>with members of the Cartel de Jalisco.</i>

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<i>The shootout lasted close to an hour.</i>

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<i>The cartel's gunmen eventually retreated,</i>

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<i>but not before Tata and his men
captured one of their wounded.</i>

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(speaking Spanish)

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<i>When Tata and his team head out on patrol</i>

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It's people like for Healy
Augustine Serano, local farmer.

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Turn Tower guard, who mans the
checkpoints but I'm awake connect.

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Not often. Do we rabbit?

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So romantic on the Wind
of Gringo's are eternal.

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What kind of attention did the avocado
industry bring to this community?

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It almost from well below

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the government. Regalo para
la parte de la production.

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We do. He saw the sorrow.

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So these avocados ready to cut?
There's a star listo, Para cortar.

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Ha of land produces roughly
20 tons of avocados,

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and at 40 pesos of Papua Farm, like,

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for Helios 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
what all of Michoacan goes through

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to not only Harvest
them but to keep you in

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the community safe from the
cartels and criminal groups.

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What's your message to them? To
remember when they eat an avocado?

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Like what got the Cuesta? Mucho trabajo?

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No, mas

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trabajo. She know Questa

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organization Cuesta de Sangre in
algunos De vidas en algunos casos.

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North American West robotic.

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Consume an avocado.

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When's the last time you
actually got to enjoy one,

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all you want on my animal communicator?

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So definitely be the freshest piece
of avocado I've ever eaten. Cheers.

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It's good.

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It's very good. Yeah.

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Yeah, what up? Don't know if I should do
this whole thing though, I'm allergic.

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For you personally. What are you
protecting me? And I open another meant to

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protect me familiar.

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Are you afraid that things will
go back to the way they were

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when they occur Jaeger status
koshwal esperamos, que, no, Pare.