Over a decade ago, Peru barely grew blueberries. Today, its desert coastal region has unexpectedly made the country the world's top exporter of fresh blueberries.
Shipments primarily target the U.S. and Europe, reaching historic records worth millions of dollars each year. However, this lucrative success has not translated into prosperity for all involved.
At the first rung of the production chain, blueberry harvesters continue to face poverty and poor working conditions. In 2023, some lost their jobs during the country’s worst agricultural performance in three decades, largely due to a 25% drop in blueberry production caused by extreme weather that brought heavy rains and unusually high temperatures.
In this project, Post-Grad Reporting Fellow Carla Samon Ros explores the opportunities and challenges of Peru’s blueberry boom, as companies develop new blueberry varieties with improved genetics to better withstand climate change.
