Interview: Marion Avril – Sustainability and Social Innovation Manager at Driscoll’s & AHIFORES Chairwoman
Interviewed by Veggies From Mexico, Marion Avril shares her experience in the farming industry. She explains how a focus on sustainability is a condition for survival in farming companies and how, from her position, she seeks to promote best practices for the industry.
Marion is Sustainability and Social Innovation Manager at Driscoll’s in Mexico, Chairwoman of International Horticultural Alliance for Social Responsibility Promotion (Alianza Hortofruticola Internacional para el Fomento de la Responsabilidad Social, AHIFORES), Sustainability Vicepresident for Agricultural and Agroindustrial Development Council of Jalisco (Consejo de Desarrollo Agropecuario y Agroindustrial de Jalisco, CDAAJ) and Agricultural Development Council of Jalisco (Consejo de Desarrollo Agropecuario de Jalisco).
She is a native of Avignon, France, but living in Mexico for 15 years. She is the founder and promoter behind the team responsible for ensuring an ethical value chain that involves over 400 farmers and nearly sixty thousand direct and indirect employees, respectful to human rights and guaranteeing the care for the environment. She specializes in the development of highly efficient and sustainable production chains. She holds a degree in agricultural engineering and two master’s degrees: one in Social and Rural Development by IRC in France, and another in Public Policy Development and Gender from the University of Barcelona, Spain. Under her leadership, she has transformed and implemented social wellbeing, community relations, and environmental management practices implemented across Mexico.
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She has worked on countless shared value projects in production chains, as well as on creating commercial and labor markets in various countries of America and Africa. She considers herself as an enthusiast about using companies as a driving force for social justice and biodiversity conservation and restoration.
1. What is International Horticultural Alliance for Social Responsibility Promotion (AHIFORES) and how important is it for you to take the position of Chairwoman?
AHIFORES is a multi-sector alliance made up by growing, exporting, and marketing companies which share a commitment of promoting respect for labor rights and the wellbeing of workers from the horticultural sector in Mexico.
Since its founding, AHIFORES has worked to coordinate efforts around corporate social responsibility, promoting good working practices, fostering regulatory compliance, and improving the living conditions of farm workers and their families.
Additionally, the Alliance acts as a space for dialogue, cooperation, and innovation that seeks to build a more fair, professional, and sustainable farming sector.
AHIFORES is the result of a consideration and a need to express justice: those who work the soil deserve respect, security, and development opportunities; and companies play an fundamental role in achieving this.
Assuming the Presidency of AHIFORES represents a great challenge, both personal and professional, which involves profound responsibility. The farming sector is key to life, but it is also one of the most neglected and often misunderstood. Being able to highlight the reality of the sector—with its challenges and problems, but also with all that is positive, valuable, beautiful, and inspiring—is a privilege. It is a way to recognize the effort and impact of farm work and to contribute to strengthening and growing a sector that deserves to be much more appreciated.
2. How important do you think social responsibility is in farming companies?
Social responsibility in farming companies is essential, as it recognizes that productive activity cannot be separated from the wellbeing of the people and the land which makes it possible. This involves not only to ensure decent working conditions, but also to actively contributing to the development of rural communities, protecting the environment, and promoting fair and equitable practices.
Also, in this increasingly demanding global environment in terms of traceability and ethics in supply chains, social responsibility becomes a key game changer to access international markets and generate sustainable business relationships.
3. What impact has the involvement of AHIFORES had on promoting social responsibility in Mexico these years?
The involvement of AHIFORES has been fundamental to visualize and address the areas of opportunity for the horticultural sector in terms of social responsibility. One of its main contributions has been to promote dialogue about the need to raise the level of labor compliance in the Mexican field, by generating awareness and commitment among the various stakeholders in the production chain.
Thanks to the cooperation between companies, organizations, and experts, AHIFORES has contributed to constant progress in professional development of the sector, promoting the standardization of working conditions, and fostering fairer, safer, and more dignified standards for workers.
Furthermore, AHIFORES has assumed a strategic role representing the sector with the government and international organizations, giving voice both to employers and farm personnel in building public policies which satisfy the true dynamics and challenges of the industry.
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In recent years, AHIFORES has demonstrated that it is possible to build bridges between productivity and human rights, and that social responsibility is a competitive and ethical advantage for the Mexican farming sector.
4. Why is it important to comply with labor standards which regulate corporate social responsibility in Mexico?
To comply with labor standards is not only a legal obligation, but also a way to build long-term legitimacy and trust. In a farming context, where informality and vulnerability conditions have historically existed, compliance with these standards means guaranteeing basic rights such as fair salaries, proper working hours, access to social security, and protection against abuse.
Compliance creates legal certainty, reduces reputational risks, and protects companies from penalties and trade barriers. There is an increasing number of buyers, especially international ones, demanding that companies demonstrate responsible practices and regulatory compliance. Therefore, social responsibility and the legal framework are not only obligations, but strategic tools for building a more ethical, professional, and competitive farming industry.
5. What are the main courses and services provided by AHIFORES for its members?
AHIFORES provides its members with specialized training designed to strengthen social responsibility in farming companies and assist them in complying with current labor laws.
Some of the main courses are:
- Training of Internal Social Auditors, which trains the staff within companies to identify occupational risks, monitor good practices, and promote internal compliance.
- Training about Mexican labor legislation, including the rights and obligations of employers and workers.
- Courses on health, social security, and industrial safety, focused on preventing labor risks, promoting safe environments, and ensuring the access of staff to their rights.
Besides, AHIFORES is characterized by its flexibility to address specific needs of its members, by developing customized content and supporting the creation of specialized courses tailored to fit the context, industry, or location of each company.
6. How important is sustainability? Do you think it is financially viable for farming companies?
Sustainability is a necessary condition for survival of farming companies. Investing in sustainable practices means to protect natural resources which are essential for production: soil, water, biodiversity and, at the same time, creating healthier working environments.
From a financial perspective, although it may involve an initial investment, sustainability translates into long-term benefits: risk reduction, access to green financing, and improved marketing conditions.
Also, consumers are increasingly aware and they demand products with a positive environmental and social impact. Those companies that understand this and anticipate trends are better positioned to compete.
So yes, it is financially viable and increasingly necessary. The key is to integrate sustainability strategically, with innovation and multi-sector cooperation.
7. How do sustainability and social responsibility interact in the farming industry?
In any industry, it is helpful to think about sustainability as a concept which integrates both sustainability and social responsibility. These are no separate efforts, but rather a comprehensive model that seeks that farming companies are viable in the long-term in the areas of economy, environment, and human resources. Especially in the farming industry, which relies deeply on natural and human resources.
Sustainability focuses on the responsible use of natural resources—such as water, soil, and biodiversity— ensuring that production does not compromise the future. Social responsibility, for its part, ensures dignified working conditions, inclusion, equality, and wellbeing for all the people involved in the agricultural chain.
Both dimensions are deeply related: there cannot be sustainability if the environment is damaged or human rights are violated. And, at the same time, strong, healthy communities with access to opportunities are fundamental to preserve and protect the natural environment.
When a farming company adopts an authentic sustainability approach, it recognizes that success depends on keeping a balance between productivity, environmental protection, and social justice. This is the path to a resilient, competitive, and ethical farming model.
8. What actions are AHIFORES expected to develop in order to benefit and strengthen the horticultural industry in the coming years?
In the coming years, AHIFORES will seek to strengthen its role in the domestic and foreign public agenda, becoming consolidated as an influential player in the negotiation of agreements, regulations, and policies with a direct impact on the horticultural sector.
One of its purposes will be to continue raising the voices of farm workers so that their real needs are heard, understood, and integrated into legal frameworks and institutional programs. It will also promote to recognize the Mexican field as a space with potential for human, professional, and economic development, separating from only wellbeing-based narratives.
Similarly, AHIFORES will continue creating spaces for training, cooperation, and continuous improvement for companies in the sector, with a focus on formalization, equality, personnel rights protection, and sustainability as cornerstones. We seek to position ourselves as the training Alliance in social compliance of the Mexican field.
The commitment is clear: building a farming model that not only produces high-quality products, but it also generates wellbeing, justice, and a future for those who make it possible.
9. Is there anything else you would like to add?
I would like to invite you to our upcoming event, Foro Internacional de AHIFORES, to be held on October 7-8 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico where, other than exceptional talks and networking, we will also celebrate our 10th anniversary.
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