The Influence of Globalization to Overcome Marginality in the Uco Valley of Mendoza, Argentina

Abstract

The viti- and viniculture is the dominant productive sector in the three river-oases where life and economic activity develop in the province of Mendoza (Argentina). The smallest of these oases, known as Central oasis or Valle de Uco and located in the middle-west of the province, has always occupied a marginal role in this activity, mainly due to the natural conditions of the area. However, during the last 25 years and under the strong influence of globalization, it has become the most dynamic and emblematic region of the modern wine-growing development in Argentina. The historical context, the spatial expansion of the crops, its progressive occupation of higher lands, the causes and characteristics of this recent evolution and the global components as essential factors that allowed this transformation are considered from a double perspective: a vision “from outside”, a more objective one, that is complemented with a vision “from inside”, explained by some actors of the process. The results show a very positive example of global influence in a rural area at the local level, in spite of a few dissonant notes that give us some idea about certain difficulties or alternative positions to the general trend.