Green Gold Rush - How Kenya Pays the Cost for Europe’s Obsession with Avocados

Smashed on toast or blended into smoothies, avocados, often called the ‘green gold’, have become an indispensable part of European cuisine. Once the brunch choice of hipsters and yogis, the avocado is now mainstream and demand is soaring in cafes and grocery stores from Amsterdam to London./p>

But this obsession has a hidden cost. In addition to deforestation resulting from land conversion, the environmental toll includes the heavy use of pesticides and chemicals, as well as extensive water consumption.

Simultaneously, workers growing and harvesting these ‘superfoods’ are often underpaid and subjected to exploitative conditions. What is the real cost of our insatiable appetite for avocados?

Image by Kate Stanworth