The margins of the oases of the Mendoza province have acquired in the last two decades special relevance as a focus of investment of the so-called “agribusiness model.” The latter has been the protagonist of a real conquest in peripheral areas of the oasis, expanding the agricultural frontier based on the acquisition of land selected for its edaphic characteristics, the exploitation of groundwater, and the application of modern irrigation systems. Starting with the so-called new vitiviniculture –characterized by the production of high-quality wine destined for export–this dynamic was also evident in other fruit or horticultural sectors. In this article, from a vertical and multidimensional perspective, we analyze the processes that enable control over certain rural spaces and their water resources by agribusiness corporations located on the margins of the Uco Valley oasis. We argue that a singular logic of production-consumption underlies these grabbing processes. Firstly, we argue that this logic works in several practices of precision agriculture, and we will give an account of the relationship between the expanding of peripheral lands for agro-productive purposes, the implementation of technologies to irrigate and put them into production, and the targeted markets. We will focus more specifically on vitivinicultural projects and agro-industrial potatoes production. Secondly, we argue that this logic also operates in relation to the growing conversion of new productive rural spaces into enclaves of tourist and real estate consumption, related to viticulture.
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Los márgenes de los oasis de la provincia de Mendoza adquirieron estas últimas décadas especial relevancia como focos de inversiones del modelo de agronegocios. Éste se destacó como el protagonista de una verdadera conquista en zonas periféricas de los oasis, expandiendo la frontera agrícola en base la adquisición de terrenos seleccionados por sus características edáficas, la explotación de aguas subterráneas y la aplicación de modernos sistemas de riego. Protagonizada por la llamada nueva vitivinicultura -caracterizada por la producción de vinos de alta calidad enológica y orientada al mercado internacional- esta dinámica se evidenció también en otros sectores frutícolas u hortícolas. En este artículo indagamos, desde una mirada vertical y pluridimensional, acerca de los procesos que rigen el control sobre determinados espacios rurales y sus recursos hídricos por parte de organizaciones empresariales, ubicadas en los márgenes del oasis del Valle de Uco. Argumentamos que una singular lógica de producción-consumo subyace en estos procesos de acaparamiento. Por un lado, defendemos que esta lógica opera en varias prácticas de agricultura de precisión y buscaremos dar cuenta de la relación que se establece entre los acaparamientos de tierras periféricas con fines agro-productivos, la implementación de tecnologías para irrigarlas y ponerlas en producción, y los mercados de destino. Nos centraremos más específicamente sobre proyectos vitivinícolas y paperos agroindustriales. Por otro lado, defendemos que esta lógica opera también en relación a la creciente conversión de nuevos espacios rurales productivos en enclaves de consumo turístico e inmobiliario, relacionados a la vitivinicultura.
Dietary composition was determined seasonally in males and females of Ctenomys mendocinus Philippi, 1869 from the Andean Piedmont (Mendoza, Argentina) during the reproductive and non-reproductive period. Reproductive condition and relative age of each animal was determined. Stomach contents were individually analyzed with the microhistological technique, Dietary generalism is supported by the high proportion of available genera eaten, but the intensity and continuity of use suggested specialization on grasses. Prédation risk induces minimization of the exposure time out of the burrow, and could justify the specialization in grasses, considering that other rodents showed lower harvest and handling times for grasses than for shrubs. Males had a more varied diet than females in winter, and the opposite occurred in spring. Since males have been found to dig longer burrow systems than females in winter, searching for mates might cause males to intersect a higher number of food items during that season. Higher energetic and nutritional requirements associated with pregnancy and nursing may lead to the inclusion of more food items in the spring diet of females, and their higher specialization on grasses. Dietary similarities between immature and mature individuals suggested that age did not affect selection of diet items. Seasonal variation in dietary diversity suggested a foraging strategy adaptive to environmental seasonal variations and to the subterranean life style.