Climate Change Could Dampen Argentina’s Recovery

“It’s like being at war.” That’s how Luciano Pieruci, a 26-year-old farmer describes his battle against the floods that swamped a swath of the 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) of soybeans, corn, and wheat he tends in Argentina’s Córdoba province. “The low-lying fields have become lagoons,” says Pieruci, who decided to leave them unplanted to avoid a repeat of the previous year’s losses.

About 200 miles northeast, in Santa Fe province, Claudio Parola reports that soybean yields on his farm almost doubled this year because of the extra moisture. But the extra costs of harvesting a wet crop wiped out his profits. “There was water in places we’ve never seen before,” he says.