Rising consumption and decreasing opportunities: small-scale farmers excluded from Colombia's avocado boom

Abstract

This research finds that rising global demand for a specific commodity can, paradoxically, reduce commercial opportunities for preexisting producers oriented towards domestic markets. In Colombia, increased commercial opportunities for export avocados have excluded small-scale farmers from the domestic markets they have supplied for decades. This situation is the result of increased participation of investors in avocado production, as these investors have seized part of the opportunities in the domestic market. Simultaneously, traditional farmers have consciously rejected apparent opportunities, created by rising global demand for avocados, that put their long-term livelihoods at risk. This work is based on ethnographic research in Santander Colombia. Through a dialogue between global value chain analysis and agrofood systems research, we highlight the need to explore the effects of changing market patterns beyond linear relations.