Just as he has done for 35 years, Gustavo Recupero inspects some 70,000 hectares of farmland each week across the Pampas region of central Argentina. An agronomist and agricultural engineer, he advises producers here in one of the country\u2019s most fertile farming areas. But, he says, \u201cI\u2019ve never seen this,\u201d speaking of the impacts of a drought that has endured for the past three seasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to data<\/a> from the Rosario Stock Exchange (BCR), since mid-2020, Argentina\u2019s agricultural heartland, covering the provinces of Santa Fe, Buenos Aires, La Pampa and C\u00f3rdoba, has recorded a water deficit equivalent to an entire year\u2019s rainfall. In 2023, the impacts of this shortfall will reportedly lead to estimated losses to the national economy of US$20 billion<\/a>, representing more than 3% of GDP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is La Ni\u00f1a?<\/p> La Ni\u00f1a is a weather phenomenon that causes fluctuations in sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, leading to changes in tropical atmospheric circulation, namely winds, pressure and rainfall, and, in turn, impacts on the global climate<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n This water deficit has been driven primarily by a third consecutive year of La Ni\u00f1a, a natural climatic phenomenon, though the effects of climate change have made the situation more severe. In February, scientists from the World Weather Attribution initiative reported<\/a> that climate change, while not the direct cause, has exacerbated this period of drought, which has been felt across South America<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n