Argentina is the second largest country in South America with a total land area of 2,736,690 square kilometers. Argentina’s economy benefits greatly from the agriculture sector, with open markets and having big trading partners such as Great Britain (The Economist, 2014).The agricultural sector makes 11% of the Gross Domestic Product of Argentina. These agricultural products are exported and contribute $58.4 billion dollars to the economy. Around 2% of the population is labored in the agricultural sector. The current population of Argentina is over 43 million people. Thus over eighty hundred sixty thousand thousand people make a living through agriculture (Worldbank, 2014)and their livelihoods are more likely to be impacted by climate variability within the country and around the world. The natural resources Argentina possesses, namely arable land and mining resources, greatly affect the way people within the country are able to combat climate variability (CIA Factbook).
The natural resources found in Argentina include fertile land, minerals and petroleum. Some of the minerals include, lead, zinc, tin, and copper (CIA Factbook). The most exploited resource would be arable land, where it can be divided into five main regions.This includes the pampas, pastoral farming, irrigated farming, cereal-livestock, and a high altitude mix region. These five regions emphasize the different types of agriculture found in Argentina is dependent on the geography of the land (WOCAT 2015).Eastern Argentina is dominated by fertile soils and is the location of a majority of the larger scale agriculture (Suelos). Soybeans, corn, wheat, and livestock are all common in this region (FAO 2017). Contrasting this is the southern pastoral region. This area is dry and doesn’t have the capacity for intensive irrigation. Because of this, it is used for livestock production. Land was mostly used in a mixed animal and crop production, where pasture would be rotated in every five years. Traditionally, a mixed of crops and livestock was favorable to maintain soil structure. However, due to the commodity and the financial benefits of specializing in either livestock or crops, many producers have chosen to only commit to one (FAO Missing Link).Both of these agricultural systems have their own dependence on certain aspects of the geography and climate. Climate change will affect many things throughout these regions due to changes in temperature and precipitation. Increases in temperature put additional strain on crops and livestock. Water needs for crops rise with higher temperatures resulting in additional needs for irrigation, better varieties that can handle heat stress, or increased water management. A decrease in overall production is to be expected due to the need for different management practices as they require more labor, resources, and technology.
Global climate variability has been occurring since the beginning of time, with the Earth warming and cooling itself over long stretches of time. However, in the recent past since human existence has come to be, the Earth’s climate has been changing at a much more rapid rate. Additionally, these changes have been intensified from the invention of the automobile and increased combustion of fossil fuels which expel large amounts of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. From 1880 to 2012, researchers have found an overall global temperature increase of 0.85°C, as displayed by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This increase in global temperature is expected to continue to surge as time goes on (Sustainable 2015, Land Ocean Data). This number may seem insignificant to skeptics of climate change, but with even this small increase of less than one degree Celsius, biodiversity in natural resources faces severe decreases. Though animals such as mammals, insects, and birds are able to migrate at a speed rapid enough to secure the genetic diversity of their species, plant species are not equipped to do the same. In many plant varieties, regeneration takes an entire seasonal change in order to reproduce, and the seedlings can only migrate as far as the wind or a pollinator takes them. This requires an extended period of time to allow for adaptation, which has not been and will not be an option while facing climate changes. While adapting to new environments can be a struggle for species, pest mitigation can also affect the productivity of many populations. For example, in more temperate areas, insects and other pests are kept in check over the winter months when temperatures are too cold for reproduction to occur. However, as areas warm, these insects are more able to produce higher populations with less restrictions on the time restraints as before. These pests can be carriers of diseases which can kill off entire plant or animal populations, such as rootworm in maize, Lyme Disease in humans, malaria, rust fungi, and many more (Villachica et al. 1990). With this wide array of disastrous factors, temperature variability at a global scale is predominantly an issue which could require much insight into in order to abate.
In addition to issues with temperature acclimation, many species struggle to adapt to changing rainfall variability. Tropical storms and droughts alike have been rising issues for countries around the world, not only in number, but also in intensity (Maes et al. 2013). According to the World Economic Forum, Hurricane Irma generated the most Accumulated Cyclone Energy, a way of measuring the intensity of a storm, on record in the Atlantic Ocean. Contrarily, Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Morocco, and Pakistan are facing severe food insecurity due to droughts (Gray 2017). Years of poor harvests coupled with sudden flash flooding and torrential rains have worsened the situation the situation for many residents of Somalia in particular, which has been affected by drought for the past seven growing seasons. While these countries are obviously not in Latin America where Argentina is located, the disastrous effects of climate change can be felt not only in one particular country, but rather worldwide. Each country will have its own issues with water accessibility and temperature variability depending on its proximity to the equator and its own geographic nuances which affect natural resources in the area.
As Argentina is a country which spans much of the Southern Hemisphere, the climate of the entire country varies with each region. Ranging from temperate to arid to sub-antarctic, throughout the country, each region of Argentina essential has its own climate and issues which arise with that. Buenos Aires, Cordoba, San Luis, and Pampa Provinces are located in the temperate climatic region. This area receives roughly 965 millimeters of rain annually, with temperatures ranging from 15°C to 18°C in Las Pampas region. In semi-arid regions, the climate is dry, with annual rainfall levels barely reaching roughly 700 millimeters per year. Most of this precipitation accumulates in lagoons and lakes located around the country, with the largest being in Los Lagos district, near the Andes Mountains in western Argentina. The average temperature in the semi-arid region can reach 30°C in the summertime, with low temperatures dropping to 8°C in the winter months. The southeastern portion of the country is classified as arid, as it is near the base the Andes Mountain Range and is subjected to massive rain shadow as a result. This area is known as the Patagonia Desert, and generally has roughly seven months of winter and only five months of summer weather. As this area is exceeding dry, snow is not common in the 3°C desert area. As the Patagonia Desert ventures south into the southwestern tip of Argentina, the landscape merges from arid desert to sub-antarctic desert. Temperatures can drop to as low as -25°C in some of the coldest areas, allowing summer frost to form during even some of the warmest months in the area, but overall, rainfall is limited to just 170 millimeters per year (CIA World Factbook).
While much research has gone into global climate variability and the negative impacts it can and will have on areas of the world, Argentina seems to be one of the few areas which will not see so many of the negative impacts as the positives. The centralized Las Pampas region is, in fact, projected to have an increase in precipitation coupled with less dry days overall, meaning there will be adequate rainfall spread over greater periods of time, which will result in more stability in the water cycling system and ability of people and ecosystems alike to utilize the water provided. However, the northeastern and south western regions are seeing drier conditions than average. Coupled with the scientific community’s consensus that global temperature is expected to increase 2-2.5°C by the end of the 21st century, this could have detrimental impacts on natural resources within Argentina. (www.pnas.org/content/103/39/14288.long)
Argentina would be greatly affected by this because of the prominent role of agricultural production. Within the last 40 years crop production has doubled, making it a larger portion of the agricultural sector than livestock. Despite the increases in production much of the area used for raising crops has stayed relatively stable(Climate Smart). Maize and wheat have covered approximately four million hectares from 1972 to 2012, however, the area used for soybeans has gone from almost none in 1972 to close to 18 million hectares in 2012. Degradation of soils will become an increasing factor due to changes in precipitation and changes in water management. With increases in irrigation, runoff and erosion are more prevalent, and with decreases in precipitation soil moisture content will suffer. Another factor that negatively affects soils is increased salinization. Higher salt contents would require changes in soil management practices to ensure that crops aren’t negatively affected (NCBI). The changes affecting crops also affect livestock in similar ways. Not only because livestock are dependent on agriculture for feed but because their reliance on water as a natural resource will become more restricted. Increased need across the entire agriculture sector with decreasing availability looks to be the largest issue facing not only Argentinian agriculture but global agriculture as well.
Other impacts of climate change are on the producers.The impact on producers can be seen in different classifications: small, medium or large scale operations. Climate change highlights the socio-economic disadvantage that is seen between producers (Montana E. 2016). For example, in larger operations, technology innovations are being implemented by inserting soil probes that monitor soil conditions. Farmers are able to use the data and determine what crops are going to be the most successful without depleting the land even more. Other technologies include the use of genetically modified seeds (The Economist, 2014). Since small farmers in Argentina are seen as the “last link in the chain” their use of genetically modified seeds is less prevalent (Massarani, 2013). Agroecological techniques are being used more in small family farms because there are easier to implement than expensive tools. The term agroecological is used for the emphasis on management of the ecosystems, while trying to produce the most yield as well (Shulman, 2010). These techniques include the use of compost, herbs and organic fertilizers for soils and practicing no till and rotating their crops (Global Press Journal). Soil conservation has been a major contribution to the success of maintaining the level of production Argentina has. It has seen applicable in all operations sizes. Benefits include increase soil organic matter, reduce erosion, and overall improve productivity (Peiretti, 2014). Smaller operations have also benefited from labeling their products as “Family Farming” and “Sustainable Agriculture” to improve profits when competing in markets (Inter Press Service).
Argentina has not actively attempted to reduce their contribution to climate change until recently. Argentinians held the belief that climate change was a problem of developed countries such as the United States and those in western Europe. There was not much that smaller or less developed countries perceived they could do to prevent or reverse the effects of climate change; climate change simply was not an important issue to them. That mindset has changed, however, in recent years. Argentina has recently appointed a director for climate change and is one of the signatories of the Paris Climate Agreement. It is very important that Argentinian society have had this shift of opinion as climate change is beginning to have serious effects (Buenos Aires Herald). This illustrates a global trend towards improving policies and societal views towards the health of the planet. Climate change, not being unique to Argentina, is an issue that requires widespread action and attention to be adequately managed. The trend that is being seen in Argentina is a good example for many other countries as it demonstrates a shift in the societies view of its own role in combating climate change.
In order to have a societal support on this issues, there are governmental policies that are supporting the use of sustainable practices and supporting producers that are a social disadvantage. The Participative and Federal Strategic for Agrifood Sector and Agro-industry 2010-2020 is one of the initiatives of the country to promote sustainable practices. While in 2008 there was a Support Plan for Small and Medium Producers to specifically help small scale farmers have access to sustainable management practices information. This drive is led by understanding the vulnerabilities of the country has to climate change (FAO 2017).
Argentinian society has been directly affected by climate change in two ways: the spread of disease and the loss of productive land. As climate change has caused flooding to increase, diseases that were previously trapped in certain areas have been able to spread to new areas. The flooding is also making land that was previously used for agriculture unproductive. This negative impact on agriculture related to climate change carries its own additional consequences. People are losing work which contributes to a rise in poverty. This increased poverty, along with the loss of work and productive land can quickly lead to a lack of access to quality food and nutrition. The combination of increased poverty, lack of food and nutrition, and loss of work creates a vicious cycle as all three parts play into each other. These negative effects can be combated in the short term by increasing the amount of support for affected areas and people. However, these changes caused by shifts in climate will continue making a more long term solution necessary. Being able to adapt and introduce new policies, while also increasing the amount of overall support for sustainable practices will be the only way that the harmful societal effects that are a product of climate change can be limited in the future.
Overall, climate change will have a massive effect on Argentina and the world as a whole. Social and natural resources will be strained in certain areas depending on how variability in rainfall and temperature affect the regions in question, particularly in northeastern and southeastern Argentina, where rainfall variability will intensify in the future. This will be conducive to changes being implemented on smallholder farmers as well as large-scale producers. The trend of greatly increasing agricultural production makes combatting climatic effects even more important to those who farm in Argentina. The amount of land that is being used for agriculture is constantly growing and the management practices are allowing for more intensive cropping practices. The importance of agricultural growth to Argentina is dependant on farmers being able, and willing, to adopt sustainable management techniques that allow for future farming practices to be viable even with certain amounts of climate change. We see that as both a positive and negative impact to the society of Argentina. Producers must do what they are able in order to maintain the integrity of their land and natural resources by implementing new technologies and sustainable practices (Montana E. 2016).Additionally, the political sector must do their part in policy making and implementation to ensure the producers are further able to succeed in their livelihood.