The Gran Chaco Pathways Towards a Sustainable Future 2025

Agriculture in Gran Chaco plays a vital economic role, as reflected in the expansion of cultivated land and livestock numbers across the biome. Between 2001 and 2022, crops such as soybeans, corn, wheat, sorghum and beans saw substantial growth, though with variation among countries (see Figure 6). Argentina leads agricultural activity in the Gran Chaco, followed by Bolivia, while Paraguay’s Chaco region has minimal crop cultivation – 97% of Paraguay’s agricultural production occurs in the eastern region outside the biome. Figure 7 shows the evolution of cultivated areas for soybeans between 2001 and 2022 in the Gran Chaco. Evolution of cultivated agricultural area in the Gran Chaco, 2001-2022 (Mha) FIGURE 6 01.02.03.04.05.07.0 6.0Millions of hectares (Mha) Argentina Paraguay2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Sources: Analysis based on data from Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería y Pesca de Argentina and Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas de Paraguay. Note: Disaggregated data by cities or provinces within the Gran Chaco biome in Bolivia was not found. Therefore, Bolivia was excluded to avoid potential misinterpretation of biome-specific data. Among relevant crops in Gran Chaco, soybeans are crucial. 21 The Gran Chaco: Pathways Towards a Sustainable Future