Soil is the basis of agriculture and pushes the national economy's advance. The drylands account for 75% of Argentina's surface area, producing 50% of the agricultural production, 47% of the livestock and has about 30% of the population.
"It is essential to know what we have, to apply appropriate public policies, and to let people know that we have to work hard to develop a soil's law that values rotations and sustainable management," said the president of INTA, Francisco Anglesio, in the context of the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought events held at the National Secretariat of Environment and Sustainable Development.
As a result of human activity and climatic variations, desertification, defined as land degradation in dry soil, reduces soil productivity and causes thinning of vegetation cover. Globally, drylands occupy 41% of the land area and more than 38% of the population live in them.
"One cubic centimetre of soil lasts one hundred years with the best conditions of humidity and temperature and we can lose it in a couple of hours with 40 mm of rain," said Anglesio. He also stated that, currently, 40% of the national soil has deteriorated and that "we only replenish 37% of the nutrients we extract in a year."
This causes 250,000 productive hectares to be lost every year and triggers the need to carry out public policies aimed at preserving natural environments, Anglesio said.
In response to the problem, INTA is developing technology for the sustainable use of natural resources and the recovery of degraded areas. The president of the institute stated that some practices that helped reduce the impact of man were the use of minimum and precision tillage, as well as the proper use of irrigation.
At present, the most important productive activities, which total about 1.5 million hectares, take place in the irrigation oasis."Creating awareness, the role of the state and the joint work of public institutions to promote standards capable of ensuring the sustainability of the land and its preservation for future generations are of the upmost importance," stated Anglesio.
Source: caa.nearural.com