Sustainable development of the Caldenal region of central Argentina

The Caldenal, with a flat relief abundant in good quality forage grasses and a temperate semiarid climate, forms a region ideal for the breeding of ruminants. However, the lack of control in the management of the rangelands has provoked a serious deterioration in the herbaceous vegetation favoring the growth of undesirable shrubby species. All this has brought about a crisis in the principal activity of the zone: cow-calf production. The calving percentage is 50%. Sustainable alternatives to reverse this situation include better herding and management of the herds with regard to their reproductive, nutritional and sanitary aspects. The seeding of new species in degraded or very sandy areas, pure, or in conjunction with legumes and the use of fire, as a control of the shrubby species, are technologies which must be adopted by the regional producers.