Expansión de la Frontera Agropecuaria en Argentina y su Impacto Ecológico-Ambiental

The report analyzes the environmental impact of Argentina's agricultural expansion from 1956 to 2005. Key findings include a significant increase in annual crop areas, leading to the loss of native forests and grasslands, particularly in the Chaco and Atlantic Forest regions. While the adoption of no-till farming has reduced soil erosion and the toxicity of pesticides has decreased over time, the expansion has caused a decline in soil phosphorus and carbon stocks, increased greenhouse gas emissions, and reduced the provision of ecosystem services. The report specifically examines the role of soybean cultivation, linking its expansion to deforestation in Northwest Argentina and an increase in pesticide contamination risks, although it notes a favorable energy efficiency for the crop.

• The agricultural frontier in Argentina expanded significantly between 1956 and 2005, with the area dedicated to annual crops increasing by more than 60% on average. The most significant percentage increases occurred in the Western Sub-humid Chaco (Chaco Salteño).
• Agricultural expansion occurred primarily at the expense of native forests and grasslands, with a reduction of 18.4% in forests and 6.8% in grasslands/pastures. The Atlantic Forest, Chaco, and Yungas biomes suffered significant losses, with current persistence estimated at 60%, 75%, and 72% of their 1950s levels, respectively.
• The stock of available phosphorus (P) in the soil has declined significantly due to extraction by crops not being compensated by fertilization. In some areas of the Sub-humid Pampa, levels fell below 20 ppm, which is considered a limiting threshold for crop productivity.
• Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the agricultural sector increased over time. Total regional emissions rose by 73% between the first and second periods, and by 46% between the second and third periods.
• The risk of soil erosion has decreased in recent decades due to the rapid replacement of conventional tillage with conservation tillage and no-till farming. No-till area increased from 5 million to 7.5 million hectares during the 1990s.
• Pesticide contamination risk has fluctuated; it was highest between 1956-1960 due to high-toxicity chemicals, declined during 1986-1990 with the introduction of less persistent chemicals, and rose again between 2001-2005 due to the expansion of soybean crops.
• The expansion of soybean cultivation is strongly linked to deforestation in Northwest Argentina, with a correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.92 between deforested area and soybean area from 1977 to 2005.
• Soybean production shows a favorable energy efficiency, contributing more than one-third of energy production in the last period while accounting for only about 10% of fossil energy consumption.
• The provision of ecosystem services has declined in high-value biomes. The Atlantic Forest, Yungas, and Western Sub-humid Chaco were the most affected, while the Pampa region remains relatively poor in its capacity to offer essential ecosystem services.
• Habitat intervention risk increased across all major agricultural eco-regions. The Pampas experienced the highest index of intervention, rising from 0.33 to 0.59 over the study period.

APA

Viglizzo, E. F., & Jobbágy, E. (n.d.). Expansión de la Frontera Agropecuaria en Argentina y su Impacto Ecológico-Ambiental. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/expansion_frontera_agropecuaria_2010.pdf

Chicago

Viglizzo, Ernesto F., and Esteban Jobbágy. Expansión de la Frontera Agropecuaria en Argentina y su Impacto Ecológico-Ambiental. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, n.d. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/expansion_frontera_agropecuaria_2010.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Viglizzo |first1=Ernesto F. |last2=Jobbágy |first2=Esteban |title=Expansión de la Frontera Agropecuaria en Argentina y su Impacto Ecológico-Ambiental |publisher=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |url=https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/expansion_frontera_agropecuaria_2010.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{viglizzondexpansin, author = {Viglizzo, Ernesto F. and Jobbágy, Esteban}, title = {{Expansión de la Frontera Agropecuaria en Argentina y su Impacto Ecológico-Ambiental}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, url = {https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/expansion_frontera_agropecuaria_2010.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }