MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS OF AGAVE FOR PULQUE PRODUCTION IN MEXICO

Abstract

Pulque is a fermented beverage elaborated with the sap of 46 taxa of Agave. Through the 19th and part of the 20th Centuries, the production of pulque was one of the most important productive activities in Mexico, however, its success went down due to a combination of political, economic and ecological factors. This work evaluates

the current status of five of the main management systems for pulque agave in Mexico: 1) extensive plantations (Tlaxcala), 2) agave remnants (Mexico City), 3) “metepantles” (Hidalgo), 4) edges of agave (Michoacán) and 5) management of wild agaves (Puebla). We conducted 25 semi-structured interviews, ethnobotanical walks and identification of the species and varieties with agave managers from each system. An index of management intensity was constructed with 18 indicators to compare the systems. The most intensified system is the extensive plantation, with a daily extraction of 3,000 l of sap, whereas the least system is the management of wild agaves (Agave marmorata) where the producers daily collected 30 l of sap. We found 6 Agave species and 17 traditional varieties. The main species used for pulque production is A. salmiana var. salmiana, with 6 traditional varieties in four of the systems. In none of the systems people manage sexual reproduction of agave, which could determine vulnerability of the cultivated plants to pests and diseases. Some systems are inserted into highly transformed landscape matrices, such as the agave remnants and extensive plantation, while other systems include native vegetation, as in “metepantles”. The differences between the systems reflect the diversity of agave varieties, practices and knowledge, an example of the agrobiodiversity of Mexico. The management of pulque agaves is a current activity in rural and suburban areas of Mexico, with economic importance for the producer households.