Traditional management of Agave used for mezcal and its associated knowledge: the case of Oaxaca and Aguascalientes, México

Abstract

Maybe the most known and diffused use of the Agave genus plants is the production of alcoholic beverages, being mezcal and tequila the most consumed. As a matter of fact, increased demand for these beverages has led to important pressures in the ecosystems from which the Agave is obtained. In the present article, we compare management practices carried out by mezcal producers in Oaxaca and Aguascalientes, comparing the state that produces the most volume of mezcal with a state that is new to that industry. We define management as "the interventions, transformations or decisions over natural or artificial systems, their elements and functional processes with explicit purposes", according with Casas et al (2014). We also explore the expressions of management, as ways to take advantage, preserve, restore or take back the vegetable elements of the ecosystem and the agroecosystem, finding important differences in terms of future sustainability for the alcoholic beverage industry.