Contextualización socioambiental del agave en Tonaya, Jalisco, México

In Tonaya, the Agave angustifolia Haw has been cultivated since 1845, but today has been replaced almost entirely by the Agave tequilana Weber. This replacement and the increase in the demand for agave liquor caused environmental damages. The historical context and the socio-environmental effects generated by the agave distiller industry are described in this article, and the role played by the government institutions is analyzed, a study on the region that was nonexistent until today. Information from bibliographic archives and from interviews to key actors, using the snowball technique, was obtained. Moreover, the effects on biodiversity and water quality by the dumping of liquid waste or vinasse into the Tuxcacuesco river were examined. Decisions were made reducing environmental pollution; however, many of these actions have been abandoned, putting at risk again the water system’s integrity and what it represents.