Lights and shadows of sustainable development and combat against desertification: economic rationalities in the eye of the storm. Case study involving goat producers in drylands (Mendoza, Argentina)

Abstract

This work analyses the conflict situation present in the province's drylands between goat producers and programmes to combat desertification regarding production practices and the use producers make of natural resources. The case study tackled comprises the north-eastern extreme of Mendoza province. The , which is the hyperarid spot of the region, severely affected by desertification processes, covering an extent of 10,007 km2, and with 3015 inhabitants, where small goat breeding farms predominate. Previous studies indicate that the major causes of desertification in the area are logging of the native woodland and overgrazing which have led to improper livestock production practices. In response to this, the actions to combat desertification commonly point out the need to "raise awareness" and "build capacities" of the producers by initiating processes of change in the production systems. The proposals insist that, if the current level of pressure on resources is maintained, the already serious poverty conditions will grow worse in the future. Nevertheless, despite the efforts and funds invested, the producers seem to stubbornly persist in their present production strategies and in the dynamics of natural resource use derived from them. How to explain their refusal to consider other production options likely to result in higher profit and better environmental balance? How to explain that they act, at least apparently, against their own benefits? Against the explanations that place the producers' "culture" is the most important problem, the present work seeks to cooperate in clarifying these questions through an analysis of the different rationalities that, held by different actors, converge in the area. By using a mixed methodology, the paper analyse three dimensions: 1- The environmental resource supply, which is the basis of production activities, 2- The income attained by goat production units, and 3- The expenditures they face in terms of subsistence.