Alimentos e inundaciones

The fact sheet examines the relationship between agricultural land use and groundwater management in the Pampas region of Argentina. It argues that the shift from perennial alfalfa pastures to annual rotations of soy, wheat, and corn has increased flooding frequency due to lower transpiration rates. The document suggests that implementing cover crops or water-tolerant pastures can reduce flood events and increase the number of years suitable for production by 40%.

• The transition from perennial alfalfa pastures to annual crop rotations (wheat-soy-corn) has led to a decrease in average annual transpiration rates from 1200 mm/year to 800 mm/year, resulting in shallower groundwater levels and a higher frequency of flooding.
• Land-use patterns are a central driver of cyclic flooding in the Pampas; specifically, annual grain crops leave fields bare for part of the year, allowing excess water to accumulate, whereas deep-rooted alfalfa maintains drier soils year-round.
• A significant flooding event between 1997 and 2003 affected 27% of the western Pampas region, coinciding with an average groundwater level rise of 2.3 meters and causing substantial economic losses.
• Adopting flexible land-use strategies, such as planting cover crops (e.g., ryegrass, alfalfa) or flood-tolerant pastures during high-risk periods, can reduce flood frequency and increase the number of years suitable for production by 40%.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2010). Alimentos e inundaciones. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/06/snapshot7_SP.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Alimentos e inundaciones. 2010. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/06/snapshot7_SP.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Alimentos e inundaciones |date=2010 |url=https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/06/snapshot7_SP.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2010alimentos, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Alimentos e inundaciones}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2010}, url = {https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/06/snapshot7_SP.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }