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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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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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Locals call it green gold.
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Over the past 20 years,
America's obsession with 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 fruit
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from Mexico.
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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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And these days, money as green gold
comes at a price.
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Criminal organizations,
ike Cartel de Jalisco en [ ]
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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,
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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Hector "Tata" Saavedra is
the commander of a local defense group
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that rose up against
the KnightsTemplar Cartel
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When it 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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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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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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(speaking Spanish)
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When Tata and his team head out on patrol
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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.
Eating With My Five Senses
