Opening the gate: stages, specialization and types of producers in contemporary cattle farming

Abstract

Cattle farming is one of the primary agricultural productions with significant centrality in the agricultural scene of Argentina. However, since the late 20th century, the increasing influence of extensive agriculture relegated bovine production to a secondary position. Faced with reduced available land, cattle farming  maintained production levels through two complementary processes: intensification and relocation. These processes involved transformations of various dimensions and have been addressed to varying extents. Nevertheless, there have been no analyses that link the modified aspects. From this point forward, we propose examining the technical and social division of production, aiming to create a map of actors in cattle farming that takes into account different production stages and recent changes within them. The goal is to take a step towards understanding a heterogeneous sector currently undergoing transformation.