Papers by Alejandro Saravia
The article examines the participation of farmers in the Mesas de Desarrollo Rural (MDRs) establi... more The article examines the participation of farmers in the Mesas de Desarrollo Rural (MDRs) established in Uruguay in 2007. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with various stakeholders between 2016 -2018 to explore their participation, analyse official documents and do participant observation of meetings. The main findings indicate the adaptability of these mechanisms to territorial and producer conditions; their openness to other non-agricultural sectoral institutions; and difficulties in maintaining or renewing the participation dynamic, particularly of farmers' representatives. The impacts of the political changes in 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic on MDRs were also examined after new interview of new policy responsibles.
Dynamiques de l'élevage au Nord et au Sud. Analyse des dynamiques de l'élevage dans 8 territoires d'élevage extensif
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The Uruguayan Agriculture and South-American Investment
Autrepart, 2015
Since the beginning of the millennium, Uruguay has seen steady growth in South-American in invest... more Since the beginning of the millennium, Uruguay has seen steady growth in South-American in investments both in agricultural production and food processing. This article analyzes the reasons for the installation of actors from neighboring countries (especially Argentina and Brazil). It also analyses its main impacts on land use, supply chains, farm management, agricultural governance and on rural society as a whole.
Elevage à l'herbe et développement du soja en Uruguay : transformations d'un modèle pastoral dominant
National audienceOver the last 20 years, beef cattle production on the natural grasslands found i... more National audienceOver the last 20 years, beef cattle production on the natural grasslands found in the Pampas of northern Uruguay has changed rapidly. In the Ansina region, soybean cultivation has expanded as landowning livestock farmers have rented out portions of their pastures (on 3- to 5-year contracts), which has resulted in unprecedented competition for land. Now, in addition to grazing, livestock consume fodder crops, as a result of crop rotation agreements established between landowning farmers and tenant crop growers. As a result of these changes, the former now have access to markets for high value-added meats but have lost some of their autonomy and flexibility; furthermore, natural grazing habitats are disappearing. A significant degree of differentiation can currently be seen among farms. It is related to the proportion of different types of environments they contain and contributes to growing The quality in access to land and markets. We studied this topic using interviews with farmers.En lien avec l'arrivée d'acteurs développant la culture de soja et avec la demande soutenue du marché international de la viande, les systèmes de production agricoles ont rapidement évolué en Amérique latine. Quels changements sont intervenus, depuis 20 ans, dans l'élevage bovin viande pratiqué sur les prairies naturelles de la pampa du Nord de l'Uruguay ? Dans la région d'Ansina l'expansion du soja s'est effectuée via la mise en location pour 3 à 5 ans par des propriétaires - éleveurs d'une partie de leurs terres, entraînant une concurrence inédite sur le foncier. La conduite des troupeaux a évolué vers l'intégration de cultures fourragères dans l'alimentation, grâce à des accords sur les rotations culturales entre propriétaires - éleveurs et cultivateurs. Ces éleveurs ont alors accédé à des marchés à haute valeur ajoutée pour la vente de leurs bovins, mais perdu en autonomie et flexibilité, et accentué l'artificialisation du milieu. Une importante différenciation des exploitations s'est créée, en lien avec la répartition de leur surfaces entre les 3 principaux types de milieu, creusant les inégalités dans l'accès à la terre et aux marchés (étude réalisée sur la base d'entretiens)
Eutopía, Revista de Desarrollo Económico Territorial, 2019
RESUMEN Las MDR (Mesas de Desarrollo Rural) fueron creadas en Uruguay en 2011, en el marco de un ... more RESUMEN Las MDR (Mesas de Desarrollo Rural) fueron creadas en Uruguay en 2011, en el marco de un proceso de descentralización de las acciones del MGAP (Ministerio de Ganadería, Agricultura y Pesca). Basada en un enfoque de desarrollo rural territorial y participativo, esa política pública busca consolidar y favorecer la permanencia de la producción familiar en los territorios rurales del país. El objetivo del artículo es caracterizar el funcionamiento y la contribución territorial de las MDR en tres departamentos (Río Negro, Rivera y Salto). La metodología consistió en aplicar una guía de análisis en las MDR para cada departamento mediante entrevistas individuales y colectivas, complementadas por revisión de documentos y bibliografía. Los resultados muestran que la política permitió pasar de un tratamiento sectorial a un enfoque intersectorial y territorial, donde las demandas por servicios básicos sociales son muy importantes y están siempre presentes, superando a los requerimiento...
Building New Human–Natural Systems for Sustainable Pasture Management in South America
Building Resilience of Human-Natural Systems of Pastoralism in the Developing World, 2016
On the basis of research conducted in three contrasting South American ecoregions (southern Patag... more On the basis of research conducted in three contrasting South American ecoregions (southern Patagonia, Argentina; the central Pampas and Campos, Uruguay; and western Amazonia, Brazil), this chapter aims to better understand the complex sets of reasons that have recently led local societies to adopt more sustainable pasture management in South America. After a brief overview of each of the three biomes, representative social–ecological systems of pastoralism are identified with the objective to describe their respective pasture management history, especially the colonization process and the settlement of the pioneers, and the successive farming systems, mainly the practices related to herd and pasture management, are compared. Finally, the main local and national policies regarding the livestock sector and landownership are analyzed. The evolution of the social–ecological systems of pastoralism in these ecoregions was assessed with a three-dimensional model of vulnerability based on the agroecosystem resilience, livelihood improvement, and institutional capability. The evolution of the mental models about livestock has also been analyzed to better understand the current perceptions of the local people and their scenarios for the future of livestock in their social–ecological systems. The results focused on the dynamics of rangeland management, the vulnerability of the pastoral social–ecological systems, and the evolution of the mental models of local people about livestock, so as to discuss the different rhythms of transformation and the existence of critical thresholds. Besides diverse land and social issues, it is imperative to intensify livestock production and increase the offer of new technologies, as well as to identify some relevant human dimension factors, such as the demand of local societies for collective livelihood improvement, the recent national and international environmental policies related to global warming and biodiversity, and the stronger awareness of consumers for sustainable development. In the context of global change, the practices of rangeland management will change in a more sustainable way, resulting in better society–environment interaction and human–nature integration.
Dynamiques agraires dans le Rio de la Plata à partir de l'exemple de l'Uruguay
Eutopía, Revista de Desarrollo Económico Territorial
RESUMEN Las MDR (Mesas de Desarrollo Rural) fueron creadas en Uruguay en 2011, en el marco de un ... more RESUMEN Las MDR (Mesas de Desarrollo Rural) fueron creadas en Uruguay en 2011, en el marco de un proceso de descentralización de las acciones del MGAP (Ministerio de Ganadería, Agricultura y Pesca). Basada en un enfoque de desarrollo rural territorial y participativo, esa política pública busca consolidar y favorecer la permanencia de la producción familiar en los territorios rurales del país. El objetivo del artículo es caracterizar el funcionamiento y la contribución territorial de las MDR en tres departamentos (Río Negro, Rivera y Salto). La metodología consistió en aplicar una guía de análisis en las MDR para cada departamento mediante entrevistas individuales y colectivas, complementadas por revisión de documentos y bibliografía. Los resultados muestran que la política permitió pasar de un tratamiento sectorial a un enfoque intersectorial y territorial, donde las demandas por servicios básicos sociales son muy importantes y están siempre presentes, superando a los requerimiento...
Les forums de développement rural (Mesas de Desarrollo Rural) en Uruguay : entre décentralisation et participation
Mondes en développement
Revue d’élevage et de médecine vétérinaire des pays tropicaux, Mar 25, 2016
L’agriculture uruguayenne face aux investisseurs sud-américains
Autrepart, 2015
« L'agriculture uruguayenne face aux investisseurs sud-américains », Autrepart, n° 76, 20... more « L'agriculture uruguayenne face aux investisseurs sud-américains », Autrepart, n° 76, 2015, p. 67-87, en collaboration avec Alejandro Saravia, Martine Guibert, Pedro Arbeletche, Hermes Morales, Jean-François Tourrand.
PAMPA, 2013
Cambios en el sistema agrario y la sociedad rural de una región históricamente ganadera, con la l... more Cambios en el sistema agrario y la sociedad rural de una región históricamente ganadera, con la llegada de nuevos usos del suelo.
Building New Human–Natural Systems for Sustainable Pasture Management in South America
Building Resilience of Human-Natural Systems of Pastoralism in the Developing World, 2016
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Papers by Alejandro Saravia