Carbon Sequestration

Agaves will also make an environmental impact that extends beyond the Casa Agave ranch, because they are incredible at sequestering carbon from the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is the biggest contributor to climate change, causing global temperatures to rise as the gas absorbs and radiates heat into the atmosphere.

Societies have long looked to the energy and tech realms as catalysts for change, but agriculture also plays a large role in generating carbon (up to 25% of greenhouse emissions), which is why Casa Agave is prioritizing the agave and its companion plants as viable vehicles for natural carbon sequestration and climate drawdown.

So far, the pilot program shows the agaves will absorb about 50 tons of carbon dioxide per hectare over the course of 10 years. When the Agavesse system sparks additional growth, such as mesquite, Spanish oak, nopales, and other native plants, estimated sequestration could prove up to 100 tons per hectare. Like bamboo’s pivotal role in remediating rainforest environments, or white pine’s similar function in New England, agaves show great promise as a keystone species for semi-arid desert regions.

To formalize the approach, Casa Agave will register its fields to generate carbon credits that will offset emissions. As a relatively nascent industry, carbon credits have to date only been used for trees Casa Agave will measure and monitor 1,000 hectares of agaves (plus surrounding trees and soil) to get accurate data that can be used to set the standard for agave’s carbon impact. These efforts will make the agave spirit carbon negative, and will help the municipality of San Miguel de Allende achieve carbon-neutral status. “As the pilot program for agave-related carbon credits, it’s important that we make sure our plants are hitting the right sequestration targets,” Sophia Trapp says. “Once our results are firmed up, every farmer in Mexico will be able to do the same thing, and will have a clear path to access the financial potential of the system as well”.