Dealing with drought: social implications of different smallholder survival strategies in semi-arid rangelands of Northern Patagonia, Argentina
Marcos H. Easdale A C and Heber Rosso BA Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche, Grupo de Sistemas de Producción, Economía y Sociología Rural, Modesta Victoria 4450 (8400) Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina.
B ENTE para el Desarrollo de la Línea y Región Sur, Programa Ganadero, Ñorquinco, Río Negro, Argentina.
C Corresponding author. Email: measdale@bariloche.inta.gov.ar
The Rangeland Journal 32(2) 247-255 https://doi.org/10.1071/RJ09071
Submitted: 31 October 2009 Accepted: 21 May 2010 Published: 30 June 2010
Abstract
Drought is a constant part of rangeland dynamics in arid and semi-arid regions, and has enormous impacts on extensive livestock production by reducing outputs as well as by generating short-term farm decapitalisation (e.g. when livestock die). Since rural people rely on animal husbandry for their livelihood, productive losses become a social problem. Approaches to deal with drought have generally been focused on the livestock–range management linkage, with many suggestions originating from different disciplines. However, fewer efforts had been made to understand the adaptive capacity of households to cope with drought, through changing from on-farm to off-farm approaches. We assessed the implications for household gross income of different smallholder survival strategies, in the context of a severe regional drought. Three strategies were selected: (i) social networks involving partnerships, (ii) income diversification, and (iii) farm production diversification. While drought impacted homogeneously on the production indicators among the different strategies, differences were apparent in household economic performance. Better prices obtained from associated sales and off-farm income strategies registered better household gross income levels. For these cases the effect of drought on farm productivity could be decoupled from household income. Results provide new insights in understanding the social impact of drought on rangelands, challenging current ideas about how governments can support poorest and most vulnerable farmers in rural arid and semi-arid regions.
Additional keywords: adaptability, diversification, off-farm income, partnership, social networks.
Acknowledgments
This study was supported by funds from ENTE para el Desarrollo de la Línea y Región Sur and Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (AEES 52-1731). Farmers’ predispositions during interviews, the municipality of Ñorquinco and data from local cooperatives are gratefully acknowledged. The paper benefited from suggestions by Rebecca Gowen and one anonymous reviewer. We warmly thank ‘Wal’ Whalley for his helpful comments and kind collaboration.
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