Commodity Expansion and Territorial Transformation in Mexico’s Avocado Frontier

Global commodity chains reshape rural territories through interconnected environmental and socioeconomic processes; these dynamics are often examined through the lens of land-use change. Export-oriented agricultural frontiers illustrate how global market integration can generate landscape and societal transformations. In western Mexico, the expansion of the avocado industry exemplifies commodity-driven territorial change, linking land-use dynamics with transformations in rural economies and livelihoods. This study analyzes how export integration into the international avocado commodity chain was associated with transformations in land systems and socioeconomic dynamics across four municipalities in Michoacán, Mexico, between 2003 and 2023. Using high-resolution land-use maps alongside demographic and socioeconomic indicators, we apply a qualitative, comparative and inductive synthesis of spatial and census data to examine how commodity integration interacted with local conditions to shape landscape and territorial organization. Avocado expansion coincided with territorial transformation, including the conversion of pine-oak forest and traditional agricultural lands, as well as changes in labor arrangements, demographic dynamics, and rural livelihood systems. Land-use analysis shows continued orchard expansion and accelerated land conversion after 2015. Socioeconomic indicators reveal population growth, increased female employment, and persistent income inequality, highlighting the uneven incorporation of rural territories into global commodity chains. We identified four territorial pathways: agricultural specialization, agro-industrial urbanization, transitional diversification, and rural commodity integration. These findings contribute to debates on uneven geographical development and commodity frontier expansion by showing how global commodity integration intersects with ecological, economic, and social processes to generate distinct pathways.