Agricultural Foreign Investment Governance in Argentina

The objective of this chapter is to analyze the legal and institutional framework of foreign investment in Argentina, with a particular focus on the agricultural sector. The study was conducted through a review of national legislation, bilateral and multilateral treaties, and relevant jurisprudence, complemented by an examination of sector-specific regulations. The analysis explores domestic rules on land ownership, expropriation, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, and labor standards, as well as the mechanisms available for dispute settlement. At the international level, it considers Argentina’s participation in the ICSID Convention, the New York Convention, and a broad network of bilateral investment treaties that provide investors with access to arbitration under varying conditions. Recent disputes in domestic courts, the European Union, and the World Trade Organization are also examined to illustrate how intellectual property, taxation, and trade remedies shape the investment environment. The findings suggest that Argentina combines openness to foreign capital with protective policies over strategic resources, resulting in a complex and uncertain climate for agricultural foreign investment.