SPEAKER DETAILS
Alejandro Carrillo
Alejandro Carrillo is a fourth-generation rancher in the Chihuahuan Desert, where annual rainfall rarely exceeds 9 inches (225 mm). Working in one of the most brittle environments in North America, he has developed grazing systems that restore ecosystem function, improve water infiltration, and enable year-round production without external inputs.
His ranch, Las Damas, has been featured in documentaries including Common Ground, Sacred Cow, To Which We Belong, and Water in Plain Sight, highlighting the role of livestock in regenerating degraded landscapes. Through his company, Grasslands Regeneration Project, Alejandro advises ranchers, organizations, and governments on regenerative grazing initiatives across the Americas, Europe, Africa, Australia, China, and the Middle East. He has also participated as a delegate to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. Before returning to ranching, Alejandro worked internationally as a software engineer. He holds an M.S. from Johns Hopkins University and a B.S. from Monterrey Institute of Technology.
PRESENTATION
FROM DEGRADED LAND TO NUTRIENT-DENSE FOOD: RESTORING THE WATER CYCLE THROUGH GRAZING
SAT., OCT. 17 AT 11:00 PM
In drylands, the limitation is not rainfall—it is how water moves through the soil. Drawing from over a decade of work in the Chihuahuan Desert, Alejandro Carrillo explains how degraded land can be transformed into productive grasslands using managed grazing, without irrigation or external inputs. By restoring soil structure, increasing plant diversity, and improving rainfall infiltration, these systems rebuild the water cycle and extend the growing season. The result is not only greater resilience and profitability, but also food with improved nutritional integrity. This talk connects soil function, water dynamics, and grazing management to human health, offering a new lens on how nutrient-dense food is truly produced.