Why Mesquite?
It provides livestock feed and firewood to some of the poorest people in the world
The 25% of the earth that is semi-desert contains the poorest people, the greatest environmental variation, the lowest soil fertility, areas most subject to famine. In these areas thorny, drought-hardy mesquite exists and often provides human and livestock food, firewood and charcoal. Over the last 40 years Casa de Mesquite partner Peter Felker has been developing better thornless varieties that produce abundant palatable pod throughout the world's semi-deserts.
It combats climate change by capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
Since mesquite is a leguminous plant, it takes nitrogen from the air to make protein. With every pound of nitrogen it takes from the air, it also takes 13 lbs. of carbon that ends up in the tree and in the soil under the tree canopy. Large mesquite trees have 8 tons more carbon per acre than soils away from mesquite trees. In semi-deserts this carbon and nitrogen is a huge benefit to low-fertility soils, creating a more sustainable environment.
It helps prevent deforestation by providing a value to standing trees
In Argentina, 1 million acres of native forests where mesquite grows have been bulldozed to plant soybeans. Your purchase of mesquite flour stimulates the demand for products that only come from live trees.