Resource Frontier and Capitalist Transitions: The Expansion and Contraction of Avocado Cultivation in the Valparaíso Region, Chile

Abstract

The expansion and contraction of the agricultural frontier generate conflicts over land appropriation, landscape transformation, and biodiversity loss. In Chile, the Valparaíso Region concentrates a significant portion of avocado production, which has intensified water use, affecting ecosystems and local communities. This study analyzes the spatial and temporal dynamics of avocado cultivation in the region, exploring the processes that legitimize capital expansion into new spaces. Through a mixed-methods approach that combines geospatial and qualitative analysis based on the identification of key narratives in local planning instruments, the results reveal a transition between the expansion and contraction of avocado cultivation. The narratives constructed within this spatial and temporal process highlight technological innovation, economic development, and sustainability as key pillars in avocado production in the region.