A short introduction to soil and climate in Uruguay and Argentina (Pampa Humeda)
as compared to areas of the PR China

Soil

If you take the black soil (also : dark cinamon soils) types of China's North-East, the soils most suitable for grain cultivation (soya also),
according to to the FAO/UNESCO system of soil classification, these soils can be named Phaeozems.
Phaeozems are much like Chernozems and Kastanozems but are more intensively leached in wet seasons, the parent material often being Loess.
Phaeozems are porous, fertile soils and make excellent farmland. In the USA and Argentina, Phaeozems are in use for the production of soybean and wheat (and other small grains). Vast areas of Phaeozems are used for cattle rearing and fattening on improved pastures.

Except North Eastern China, major global areas of these soils are
A. the Prairie States of the US, and
B. Southern Uruguay and in Argentina parts of the Pampa Humeda

source FAO/UNESCO

below a very crude and aproximate map of global soil fertility :

Climate

The climate zone, in which Uruguay and Argentina (Pampa Humeda area) are located can be described as :
temperate subtropical, sufficiant rainfall rather evenly distributed over the year.

It is the same climate zone as found in
A. East Coastal US,
B. East Coastal Central China,
indicated as Cfa on the map below

source Dierke maps

Uruguay, medium temperature 1960-90, degrees Celsius
location	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	annual
Uruguay, South Montevideo	23,0	22,5	20,6	17,2	14,0	11,1	10,9	11,7	13,4	16,0	18,6	21,3	-
Uruguay, Interior Paso Toros	24,6	23,7	21,6	17,7	14,6	11,5	11,4	12,5	14,4	17,3	20,0	23,0	-
Uruguay, annual rainfall, in mm 1960-90
location	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	annual
Uruguay, South Montevideo	87	101	105	86	89	83	86	88	94	109	89	84	1.101
Uruguay, Interior Paso Toros	121	124	125	102	103	89	112	90	97	110	108	97	1.287

source : Dirección Nacional de Meteorología de Uruguay

Global Climate Change effects on Argentina, Uruguay

Climate change predictions as made and published by the Hadley Centre, a UK government entity, predict a comparably moderate annual warming for the Pampa Humeda.

more interesting still, it predicts an annual increase in soil moisture, that is precipitations minus evaporation.
Soil moisture is good for plant life and agriculture
,

It is important to be aware that predictions from climate models are always subject to uncertainty because of limitations on our knowledge of how the climate system works and on the computing resources available. Different climate models can give different predictions.

Land Values

At present, July 2008, 1x hectar (= 2,5 acre, = 10.000 qm) of agricultural land (fertile black soil, good infrastructure) costs
in Uruguay : US$ 5.000
in Argentina (Pampa Humeda) : US$ 6.000

Foreign ownership of farm land is NOT restricted in any way, not in Argentina, not in Uruguay.

Summary

Even though land values can not directly be compared between Uruguay/Argentina and China,
because there is no private ownership of farm land in China,
it is fair enough to say that,

A. given China's immense future need for fertile land,
B. given that farm land in Uruguay (a little less so : Argentina) offers the best price/value in the entire world,
C. given that a future Chinese government might consider it a priority, that farm land abroad is in chinese hands

we will see increased purchases of farm land by chinese companies, institutions in this part of the world.

pvoss@pvoss.de

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