Agricultural expansion in unconventional areas: agriculturization process in Los Juries, in Santiago del Estero, Argentina.

NEIMAN, MELINA

Toronto

Congreso; XIV WORLD CONGRESS OF RURAL SOCIOLOGY 2016; 2016

International Rural Sociology Association

Argentina has lately undergone an export oriented productive intensification process in cereals and oilseeds, mainly soybean. Beginning at the end of the 70s, it boomed during the last decade concentrated at the so called ?core area? of the Pampas region. However, in a context characterized by high international commodity prices, a growing foodstuffs demand and incorporation of technological innovations as well, soybean production started to widespread among regions with no precedents in agriculture. Historically, these regions presented fragile agro-ecological conditions and the expansion of soybean production took place clearing forest native plantations where small scale farming was regularly practiced.This paper is concerned with the examination of such impact in a selected area of the province of Santiago del Estero (located at the northwest region of Argentina) considering, on one hand, its effects on land use, rural landscape and agrarian structure; on the other hand, the analysis is carried on population dynamics reflected in residential, demographic and family changes, job access and productive options for small local farmers. In sum, the above mentioned agricultural intensification trends in a ?new? productive area need to be largely considered as part of a process of social change that includes demographic, family and labor dimensions.In order to achieve these objectives, secondary data of the National Agrarian Census and of the National Population and Housing Census is used in order to describe the region and its main productive and population trends. Complementarily, fieldwork through in-depth interviews with key informants, small farmers, household members, rural employees, large scale farmers and machinery contractors, has been held in the department of Los Juries at the province of Santiago del Estero.