Agriculture in Patagonia: Farming in Extreme Environment

Patagonia in the southern cone of South America is a dry, cool, and sparsely vegetated area that lies between 22°S and 57°S latitude. Patagonia has four major ecological regions, namely, Valdivian and Magellanic forests, grasslands, moorlands, and Patagonian steppes. Farming proceeds in an extreme condition. Fruit production is confined to Northern Patagonia. Grassland supports sheep farming. Tierra del Fuego is a Steppe with feeble vegetation. Patagonia is an excellent natural repository of botanical species and fauna tolerant to extreme conditions. Food grain production occurs on mollisols, inceptisols, entisols, and aridisols. Short growing seasons, diurnal periods, supercold temperatures, snow melts, dust storms, and desertification restricts farming activity. High-speed wind (>40 km/h) is common in Patagonian grasslands and steppes. Soil deteriorates due to high-speed wind and overgrazing. Windbreaks are essential. Desertification needs due attention. Periodic droughts, desiccation (aridity), scanty precipitation (