Moving Forward. Together.
The demand for healthy, local, nutrient-rich food and fertile land has never been greater – and the potential for its effects on the planet is substantial!
We want to support the development of a new standard in agriculture and to be part of the Soil Carbon Solution.
The business model of La Delia Verde should function as an inspiration for other farmers. Its mission and output stretch beyond running a profitable business. We want to reach out to the market. We want to be in dialogue with the consumer and to communicate the strategy of Regenerative Agriculture, in order to start a direct exchange between farmer and consumer. Beyond this, we would like to spread the concept and show both how we are going through the incremental change, as well as how we are doing so in a satisfyingly profitable manner. We want to show that adapting the complex network of nature makes La Delia Verde a fruitful farm for generations to come.
The Humid Pampas:
Factory Without a Roof
The Humid Pampas is located in the mid-east of Argentina, covering the greater part of the Buenos Aires Province. It is one of the most fertile and productive arable regions in the world. The pre-conditions of this region – the humid subtropical climate, the geochemical composition of the soil and the vegetative cycle of the pasture-like grasslands – enabled a high quality of soils. This area provides ideal circumstances for arable production.
These collective conditions gave way to an intense development of large agricultural businesses. After the introduction of genetically modified organism (GMO) production in the nineties, monocultures of mainly soybean and corn production took over and started to exploit the fertile soils of that area. The majority of the local farming productions developed into operating systems that abused the distinguished pre-conditions, which in turn led to soil degradation, soil compaction and ultimately to loss of soil life. Today those large arable productions need to add increasing amounts of synthetic inputs in order to keep this “factory without a roof” working. This “factory” is progressively taking over more land, in order to generate the biggest short-term profit.
Little is left of the natural habitat in this region. The Humid Pampas is one of the most populated areas in Argentina and is extensively used for conventional farming purposes.
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The Farm
At La Delia Verde, we are acknowledging the state of land deterioration in the region and are actively changing the direction of our agricultural production through applying regenerative farming methods, as well as an integrated and holistic farming concept. We are focusing on soil revitalization, carbon sequestration and storage.
Located in the Partido de Rojas, also known as the “Zona Núcleo”, we are surrounded by large international seed production companies and are benefiting from the well-developed transport network towards the city of Buenos Aires and the Port of Rosario.
Our arable production is based on the principles of polyculture. On 80 % of our farmland, we grow commodity and cover crops. The remaining 20 % of the land is used for seed production in alternation with cover crops. We currently are working with Keyline Design for a global redesign of our farm. Through mapping the natural water flow, we are relocating roads and adjusting them to the farmland’s natural geographical realities. To complete the holistic cycle, we are reintroducing pastures for livestock integration and are planting trees, which we grow in our own tree nursery, to create “islands of biodiversity” in the few lowlands on-site. We are striving for diversity to restore the farmland’s ecosystem.
The Team
This Is the Team
of La Delia Verde
Our diverse team consists of local and international colleagues. Specialist agronomists mix with multidisciplinary team members who have the common goal of transitioning La Delia Verde into a coherent regenerative farm.
The core team of La Delia Verde S.A.U. is in charge of the strategy and the global development of the farm as well as the monitoring of the process on a regular basis.
We are working with one operating partner, Agritest S.R.L., and one operating tenant, SANPA Semillas S.A.
