Abstract

MACCAGNO, P; NAVONE, S  and  TREBINO, H.J. Evolución del grado de desertificación y su relación con los aspectos socioeconómicos en la cuenca del río Santa María, Catamarca, Argentina. RIA. Rev. investig. agropecu. [online]. 2015, vol.41, n.3, pp.298-308. ISSN 1669-2314.

This paper analyzes the characteristics of the process of desertification in the Arid Valleys, with special emphasis on the Santa Maria River basin. The analysis is focalized on the advance of desertification occurred between 1997 and 2012, through an index that was built from the combination of biophysical indicators. Given the need to link desertification with socioeconomic indicators, a series of surveys were performed in the study area to investigate socioeconomic aspects, which allowed the construction of indicators. The results indicate that desertification has increased in all cases, except in the place where sustainable practices are applied. At the same time the socio-economic indicators show that a greater degree of desertification is connected to the size-farm bellow the economic unit surface, to forms of precarious land tenure, to a greater inequality in income distribution, and to an increased poverty. These indicators were above the national and provincial values. The evaluation of the extent of desertification and its relationship with socio-economic indicators is essential to monitor and revert this process.

Keywords : Arid Valleys; Desertification indicators; Biophysical and socio-economic aspects.