Sheep, territory and public policies in Patagonia

Abstract

We present a periodization of the relationship between the sheep farming in Patagonia and public policies on land and sheep from a view with agronomic components: 1) the initial boom of sheep farming, 2) the early warning signs, 3) the increasing state intervention and the full occupation of the territory, 4) stagnation and crisis. At present, a set of institutions, studies and public and private programs have not been enough to solve the crisis in the sheep sector. We propose that -rather than sectoral- the crisis is socio-environmental and revolves around desertification, whose causes go back to agronomic and political mistakes made in the initial period of the organization of the territory.