Tequila might seem a “classy” drink in the bar but because of its ingredients, it has indirect effects on the environment. It can only be made from blue agave (Agave tequilana Weber blue variety) which is sourced from Mexico. Here, bats and their biodiversity are also being affected by demands for blue agave.
University of Gothenburg researchers recently collaborated with colleagues in Mexico and the United States to see what positive steps can be taken to remediate the situation at blue agave farms.
Blue agave is becoming intensely cultivated, during which most producers use asexual reproduction methods that prevents flowering of the plants which would be followed by the production of seeds.
The reason is because when flowered, the sugar goes to nectar in the flowers rendering the plant no longer useful for future tequila production. Ultimately, this damages the genetic diversity of agave. The crop becomes at risk since it becomes less able to withstand harsh changes like drought, climate change, intensifying weather, diseases and plant pests.
When farmers do not allow the blue agave crops to flower, this prevents bats and other wildlife from feeding on their nectar, while also restricting genetic diversity of the plants.
Bats that would normally pollinate the flowers and feed on the nectar from the agave get the short end of the draw as well since they lose a key source of nutrition.
Positive strides being made
There have been some helpful initiatives so far. The Bat-Friendly Program encourages producers of tequila to label bottles with a hologram if they allow sexual reproduction, and therefore flowering, of the agave plants. The price will be a bit higher, as expected, like we see with other more ethical food products in the shop (like Rainforest Alliance or Fairtrade).
Unfortunately, those hologram labels can only go so far, as many of the producers sell to distilleries where the message about the quality of production gets lost. This means there needs to be more incentives for farmers to cultivate blue agave and tequila sustainably.
A recently published study in Environmental Research Communications implemented surveys to reveal what could influence agave farmers to use more natural methods of growth involve agave flowering.
150 plants per hectare would be enough to provide healthy biodiversity and feed for the bats in the area, according to the program. Survey responses showed that farmers would be open to enabling around 93 plants out of about 3,000 per hectare to flower and 129 plants for a 20% subsidy related to their investment costs.
If the subsidy was half of the investment cost, they could dedicate 180 plants. Therefore, providing subsidies, particularly those that are higher, above 50% could more than be enough to solve the biodiversity problem.
Science and green finance underpin change
Financial incentives for farmers could ultimately boost agave genetic biodiversity into the long-term, while scientific knowledge, such as that of the recent study, will help to give guidance along the way. This will not only depend on scientific research to monitor biodiversity changes, but key decision makers, industries, and nature conservation organisations.
Subsidies and other forms of green finance could offer environmental benefits like genetic diversity in plants and biodiversity in wildlife, while also offering more sustainable tequila to be enjoyed all over the world.