ABSTRACT
The cold, wind-swept desert that covers the southern quarter of Argentina is known as Patagonia. It is composed of the provinces of Rio Negro, Neuquen, Chubut, Santa Cruz, and Tierra del Fuego. The problem for irrigated agriculture in Patagonia is not just supply but also demand. The problems of desertification and erosion caused by overpasturing in the rest of the interior are found in Patagonia as well. The agricultural activity that takes place in Patagonia is pastoral. After the Campaign of the Desert ended the threat of Indian raids in the early 1880s, ranchers began crossing the Rio Colorado with their flocks and the federal government began giving away and selling land in the region. Patagonia is an ecological disaster zone. Falling prices for fruit and competition from other countries have produced a prolonged lack of profitability in Patagonia fruit orchards. The sheep ranches of Patagonia produce high-cost, low-quality wool.
