¡Tequila! A Natural and Cultural History

Interested in the botanical descriptions, production and processing of agave into tequila? A must read is the book by Ana Valenzuela-Zapata and Gary Paul Nabhan, called ¡Tequila! A Natural and Cultural History. The two writers were brought together by a common mentor, the late Dr. Howard Scott Gentry, a pioneer in the study of agave biosystematics. The book offers wonderful information about propagation, cultivation, harvesting and processing of agave. Inside is a 'folk vocabulary' describing agave production/processing and in depth botanical descriptions of agave species. The book also explains a dilemma of mono species agriculture: with contemporary agribusiness and a growing demand for tequila, vast new fields with little genetic diversity have been planted. This cloning of the same species of blue agave leads to demographic vulnerability from new plant diseases. This book reinforces the need idea of permaculture in farming as well as issues of species biodiversity and companion planting. Mixing species assists in pest control in a number of ways: it influences the availability of light, creates barriers, influences the microclimate, increasing resistance genes and can act as alternative hosts for natural enemies. Intercropping allows each plant to supply a different nutrient to the soil, less or no fertilizers are added to the soil.
If you plant vast fields of the same species, a decrease in bio-diversity occurs where animals lose their habitat and either relocate or become extinct. After harvesting. the plot is empty leaving the soil bare and prone to soil erosion. The use of insecticides and pesticides pollutes the environment on many levels: the soil, streams, creeks, rivers, underground water sources, well water, the ocean, and even the air. Drink organic tequila!-to preserve agave biodiversity.