The Billion Agave Project is a game-changing, ecosystem-regeneration technique recently embraced by a number of innovative Mexican ranches in the high-desert area of Guanajuato. With your assistance, we’ve been the main group to contribute to Organic Consumers Association supporting this crucial job that is currently proven to green deserts and provide both food and earnings for some of the world’s most tested farmers.
This approach integrates the expanding of agave plants and nitrogen-fixing friend tree types (such as mesquite), with all natural rotational grazing of livestock. The outcome is a high-biomass, high forage-yielding system that works well even on deteriorated, semi-arid lands. A manifesto on mesquite is available in English1 and Español.2.
The system produces big quantities of agave leaf and root stem– up to 1 lots of biomass over the 8- to 10-year life of the plant. When cut and fermented in shut containers, this plant material creates an excellent, cost-effective (2 cents per extra pound) pet fodder.
This agroforestry system minimizes the pressure to overgraze breakable rangelands and boosts soil health and wellness and water retention, while drawing down and storing substantial amounts of climatic carbon dioxide (CO2).
The objective of the Billion Agave campaign is to plant 1 billion agaves around the world to draw down and shop 1 billion tons of climate-destabilizing CO2. The campaign will certainly be moneyed by contributions and public and private financial investments.
Why Agave?
Climate-Change Solution.
Agave plants and nitrogen-fixing trees, largely intercropped and cultivated together, have the capacity to attract down and withdraw large amounts of atmospheric CO2.
They additionally produce extra below-ground and above-ground biomass (and animal straw) on a constant year-to-year basis than any various other desert or semi-desert varieties. Agaves alone can draw down and shop over ground the dry-weight equivalent of 30 to 60 tons of CO2 per hectare (12 to 24 heaps per acre) each year.
Ideal for warm and arid climates, agaves and their friend trees, once established, call for no irrigation and are generally impervious to rising worldwide temperature levels and dry spell.
Animals Feed Source.
Agave leaves, full of lectins and saponins, are indigestible for animals. When their huge fallen leaves (high in sugar) are chopped finely through a device and fermented in closed containers for 30 days, the end item supplies a nutritious and low-cost silage or animal fodder.
This agave/companion tree silage, integrated with the reconstruction of degraded rangelands, can make the distinction in between survival and grinding destitution for millions of the globe’s small farmers and herders.
Drought-Resistant.
Agaves call for little-to-no watering. They flourish even in completely dry, abject lands unsuitable for crop production due to their Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) photosynthetic pathway.
The CAM path makes it possible for agave plants to attract down moisture from the air and shop it in their thick fallen leaves during the night. Throughout daylight hours, the opening in their fallen leaves (the stomata) closes up, drastically decreasing evaporation.
A New Agroforestry Model.
An introducing group of Mexican farmers is transforming their landscape and their resources. Just how? By largely planting (1,600 to 2,500 per hectare), trimming and intercropping a fast-growing, high-biomass, high forage-yielding species of agaves among preexisting (500 per hectare) deep-rooted, nitrogen-fixing tree species (such as mesquite), or among planted tree seedlings.
When the agaves are 3 years old, and for the following 5 to 7 years, farmers can prune the fallen leaves or pencas, chop them up carefully with a device, and then ferment the agave in closed containers for 30 days, preferably combining the agave entrusts to 20% of leguminous shells and branches by volume to give them a greater protein degree.
In Guanajuato, mesquite trees start to generate cases that can be harvested in five years. By Year 7, the mesquite and agaves have grown into a fairly dense woodland. In Years 8 to 10, the root stem or pina (evaluating between 100 and 200 pounds) of the agave awaits harvesting to generate a distilled alcohol called mescal.
The hijuelos (or puppies) put out by the mother agave plants are being continually transplanted back right into the agroforestry system, ensuring continuous biomass growth (and carbon storage space).
In this agroforestry system farmers avoid overgrazing by integrating rotational grazing of their animals throughout their rangelands. They feed their animals by supplementing field forage with fermented agave silage.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2021/03/07/the-billion-agave-project.aspx
This approach integrates the expanding of agave plants and nitrogen-fixing friend tree types (such as mesquite), with holistic rotational grazing of livestock. By densely planting (1,600 to 2,500 per hectare), pruning and intercropping a fast-growing, high-biomass, high forage-yielding species of agaves among preexisting (500 per hectare) ingrained, nitrogen-fixing tree types (such as mesquite), or amongst grown tree seedlings.
In Guanajuato, mesquite trees begin to produce coverings that can be gathered in five years. By Year 7, the mesquite and agaves have actually expanded right into a relatively thick forest. In Years 8 to 10, the origin stem or pina (weighing in between 100 and 200 extra pounds) of the agave is ready for harvesting to produce a distilled liquor called mescal.