Agro-ecological zoning in Benito Juárez county (Argentina): Agriculturalisation and environmental consequences in a sector of the Argentinean Pampas

Abstract

In the Argentinean Pampas there is a remarkable process of agriculturalisation, whose distribution and environmental impacts are not homogeneous. Benito Juárez county is a clear example of this scenario. The objectives of the present work were to complete an agro-ecological zoning (AEZ) of Benito Juarez county for the periods covered by the agro-productive campaigns of 1989/90-2002/03 and 2002/03-2014/15. The aim was to define several agro-ecological units (AEUs) and estimate some of the potential negative environmental impacts of this process based on the calculation of three sustainability indicators (SI). Methodologically, the AEZ was carried out within the framework of a geographic information system, based on background data about the ecological characteristics of the area and the variations of the agricultural surface in the periods addressed. The pesticide contamination risk, the habitat intervention risk, and the apparent nitrogen and phosphorus balance (adapted from the AgroEcoIndex software) were used for the SI. The results show the presence of five AEU for each period, which demonstrates different levels of agriculturalisation and reveal a deepening of negative environmental impacts over time. This situation requires planning to achieve an environmental sustainability for agricultural production systems.