Agave Across Borders: A Sonoran Desert Unconference on Biodiversity, Culture, and Development

Agave is a plant through which people express care and concern for the Sonoran Desert, a biodiverse ecosystem that spans the border between Sonora, Mexico, and Arizona, United States. At the Tucson Agave Summit, a binational gathering for academic, business, and community exchange, participants discussed the growing environmental impact of human development on agave, mirroring larger concerns about research, culture, and commerce. However, obtaining travel visas proved difficult for Mexicans due to longstanding political inequalities exacerbated by post-COVID travel backlogs. In response, the 2024 AS was relocated to Álamos, Sonora. This shift invited two important questions: How is agave being used, valued, and imagined across different communities in the Sonoran Desert? And how do those conversations—about environment, culture, and knowledge—change depending on who is able to speak, and where? In exploring these questions, multiple roles for agave emerged: as a culturally significant plant in arid lands, as a marker of agricultural expertise, and as a shared point of connection across borders, disciplines, and communities.