Jalisco state seeks to recover forests amid global tequila boom

In the western Mexican state of Jalisco, a growing movement is underway to reclaim forests lost to the booming global demand for tequila. The expansion of agave cultivation, the key ingredient in tequila, has driven significant land-use changes and vegetation loss across the region.

Residents of Jalisco's highlands recently participated in a large-scale tree-planting event aimed at mitigating the effects of deforestation. Alma Delia Fernández, a volunteer from Jesús María municipality, noted the increasing encroachment of agave fields into areas previously used for corn cultivation. "The fields have been heavily deforested, mainly for agave, because the shade harms the agave," she told EFE.

Approximately 150 volunteers planted 300 trees, including pine, ash, and mesquite varieties suited to the local climate. Fernández observed that agave fields now occupy land roughly equal to that used for corn, suggesting a shift driven by the profitability of agave compared to the lower pay for corn farming.

The Tequila Regulatory Council reports that over 1.7 billion agave plants are cultivated across 511,492 hectares within the designated tequila production zone. In recent years, agave farming has been documented encroaching on forest areas, including the protected Bosque La Primavera. In 2025, federal environmental authorities identified the clearing of trees on 200 hectares of forest in Jalisco's Valle de Guadalupe municipality for agave planting.

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The fields have been heavily deforested, mainly for agave, because the shade harms the agave.