Adaptive farm management in the context of the expansion of industrial tree plantations in northern Argentina

Abstract

Landscape reconversion by plantation-oriented forestry is associated with transformations in regional economic systems. Under such change, rural communities develop different environmental and economic management strategies. Due to forest plantation growth since the 1970's in Misiones, Argentina, different areas of production can be identified according to the intensity of the forestry management model carried out. Each area defines a forestry productive landscape in which local rural populations are immersed. In this study, we describe and analyse the agricultural production strategies of Colonos (settlers) according to the size of industrial tree plantations. We offer insights into the construction of an adaptive, agrobiodiverse strategy in the context of the dominant forestry industry. Considering historical processes and current land use, we expected to find less diversity and overall development of the family productive system among rural families living in more homogenized, plantation-dominated landscapes. Qualitative and quantitative data was gathered to assess the agricultural richness and producers´ related production management. Departing from the idea that the homogenization of the landscape diminishes the diversification of the family productive system, we found that families have been able to shape the components of their subsistence in complex environments. In other words, in the face of change and instability, Colono farmers were able to reconfigure and incorporate diverse agricultural strategies. Also, they engage in biologically diverse farming systems and provide ecological heterogeneity to a regional landscape deeply transformed by tree plantations.