The world's hunger for avocados is having a devastating effect on Mexico

Desmond Boylan/Reuters Pictures MEXICO CITY (AP) — Deforestation caused by the expansion of Mexican avocado orchards is much higher than previously thought, authorities said Monday. Talia Coria, an official in the attorney general's office for environmental protection, said almost 50,000 acres (20,000 hectares) of forest land are converted to agricultural uses each year in the western state of Michoacan, the world's top producer of avocados. Coria, who heads the office's Michoacan division, sa...