{"id":60100317,"date":"2025-09-19T19:53:32","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T18:53:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/?p=60100317"},"modified":"2025-09-25T09:36:51","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T08:36:51","slug":"yerba-mate-south-americas-beloved-brew-faces-a-changing-climate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/food\/yerba-mate-south-americas-beloved-brew-faces-a-changing-climate\/","title":{"rendered":"Yerba mate, South America\u2019s beloved brew, faces a changing climate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There is a Guaran\u00ed legend that tells the story of a young Indigenous man who sets off into the Chaco jungle, equipped with a length of tacuara<\/em>, a type of bamboo stick, and a calabash gourd known as \u201cmati<\/em>\u201d in his language. After losing his way, and all hope, during a difficult quest, his wares prove to be invaluable when he encounters the leaves of a plant that, once mixed with water and sipped from his gourd, revives his spirits and gives him energy to continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, this leaf, <\/em>of the Ilex paraguariensis<\/em> or yerba mate plant, once roasted, dried, ground and brewed, makes South America\u2019s favourite infusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nations may struggle to agree on its preparation, with Argentines and Paraguayans tending towards a coarser grind including the stems, and Uruguayans going for a dustier brew with finer-chopped leaves, while Brazilians favour it in the form of a pulverised neon-green powder. Regardless, their citizens are devotees of the drink, with a mate<\/em> the fuel for long days of work or study, for trivial and deep-and-meaningful conversations \u2013 and maybe even the success of football teams<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its widespread popularity also helps fuel an industry that generates over USD 2 billion a year<\/a>. Beyond the traditional infusion, yerba mate is increasingly finding its way into energy drinks, cosmetics, cereal bars, ice cream and vermouth, among other products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/div>
Yerba mate for sale at the historic public market of Porto Alegre, Brazil. In the country, unlike in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, yerba mate is consumed in a more finely ground form (Image: Pulsar Imagens \/ Alamy)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

But as the effects of climate change bring challenges<\/a> and transformations<\/a> in agriculture in this corner of South America, the landscape for yerba mate production, currently divided between Argentina, southern Brazil and Paraguay, may also be set to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2023, Argentina was the top yerba mate producer with 982,000 tonnes, followed by Brazil (736,000 tonnes) and Paraguay (160,000 tonnes), according to data from the United Nations\u2019 Food and Agriculture Organization<\/a>. Uruguay, meanwhile, has never grown the tree in large volumes, but its 3.4 million residents\u2019 thirst for the drink makes it the top consumer per capita, at roughly 10 kg per citizen<\/a> each year, met via imports from its neighbours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 2024 study<\/a> by Brazilian researchers warned of possible shifts in this production landscape due to the effects of climate change. It noted that, in specific greenhouse gas emissions scenarios, the extent of areas suitable for yerba mate cultivation is likely to decrease in Paraguay and Brazil, and remain stable or even increase slightly in Uruguay, which could lead to the development of a new industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report presents four possible climate change scenarios of differing optimism regarding the scale of global emissions reductions over four 20-year periods from 2020 to 2100.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under all possible scenarios the researchers projected, as the periods pass, cultivable areas appear to shift across the four nations, from the north-east to the south-west.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the beginning of the next century, and in the worst-case emissions scenario, Uruguay, south of the R\u00edo Negro department, would be within a select range of areas favourable for yerba mate cultivation, along with a small portion of the province of Buenos Aires in Argentina and even smaller areas in the southern Brazilian states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n