AGRICULTURE IN ARGENTINA IS INCREASINGLY SUSTAINABLE
Bahía Blanca, July 2, 2021 – Today, taking care of the soil is a fundamental requirement for humanity. The world is going through an unforeseen pandemic, which makes us aware of our role in the care of the Planet, remembering that only 3% of the world’s surface is arable land, and that this is the basis for producing the food that almost 8,000 million inhabitants need to continue living.
Therefore, this July 7, National Soil Conservation Day, is a great opportunity to think about the practices that are necessary for production to continue growing, while taking care of the environment. On this path, Profertil, the leading crop nutrition company in Argentina, has been promoting for years the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) proposed by the UN to achieve a balance between economic growth and care for the planet.
The National Soil Conservation Day was established by presidential decree in 1963, in memory of Dr. Hugh Bennet, creator of the U.S. Soil Conservation Service, who toured Argentina and trained local pioneers in sustainable agriculture.
“Today, the path marked by that pioneer, led in Argentina by AAPRESID (Argentine Association of no-tillage producers), is followed by thousands of producers in Argentina, who have positioned the country as a leader in conservation agriculture, supported above all by the practice of no-tillage, a truly strategic system for soil care,” stated Federico Veller, general manager of Profertil.
In recent years, there has been a sustainable intensification of Argentine agriculture, with an increase in crop rotations with grasses (wheat and corn), which are fundamental for the recovery of carbon in the soil, a strategic pillar for proper soil conservation. Today, in the humid pampas there are 1.4 hectares of soybean for every hectare of corn and wheat. Only 5 years ago, this ratio was almost 5 to 1 in favor of soybean.
For the development of these key crops for sustainability and soil protection, such as corn and wheat, the urea produced by Profertil plays a fundamental role. “It is the main nitrogen fertilizer in the country, precisely the one that both require to produce more and better-quality tons, which we are proud to produce at our Profertil plant,” said Veller.
The company carries out permanent actions to promote soil conservation. On the one hand, it promotes Best Management Practices (BMP), which include determining the correct fertilizer dose, source, timing and application. And this year it is particularly supporting the program “Así son los suelos de mi país” (“This is how the soils of my country are”), an educational initiative carried out by AACREA (Argentine Association of Regional Consortiums of Agricultural Experimentation) with the advice of INTA (National Institute of Agricultural Technology) and AACS (Argentine Association of Soil Sciences). This project is focused on public and private primary and secondary schools in the country, with online training for teachers on the subject of conservation, among its activities.
According to UN figures, 95% of the food consumed by the world’s population is produced directly or indirectly in the soil. For this reason, taking care of it is essential. The organization estimates that by 2050 the world will have nearly 10 billion inhabitants and the arable land will not grow. We will have to produce more and better with the same resources.
“We must all be aware of the context we are in and our responsibilities, both as individuals and as companies. We, from Profertil, assume the responsibility of developing products in a sustainable way for an agriculture that is increasingly productive but also cares for the soil and the environment, because today we can only produce and grow in this way,” concluded Veller.