Abstract

COMBIN, Diego; SCHMIDT, Carolina  and  VISINTINI, María Laura. Economic and Productive Vulnerability in Coastal Villages (Garay - Santa Fe): A Case Study of Livestock on Islands. Rev. Univ. geogr. [online]. 2010, vol.19, n.1, pp. 19-47. ISSN 1852-4265.

This work aims at evaluating the relationship between some recent production changes and hydro-risk in the Southern area of coastal villages in Santa Fe Province, from the perspective of the School of Vulnerability and the Social Theory of Risk. There is great interest in carrying out research on changes in local livestock production and determining how social vulnerability is involved in these processes and which survival strategies livestock farmers used at the time of a dangerous situation that occurred in March-April 2007. In order to achieve these aims, systematization and surveying of bibliography, statistical sources, and cartography was carried out and first-hand data were obtained through interviews made to livestock activity agents. The results of this research are: the alarming growth of livestock activity in environmentally fragile areas; the accumulation of vulnerabilities considering the economic dimension related to the absence of policies and technical training as the central point; the persistence of traditional practices; and the special interaction between the "native" knowledge of farmers and the scarce "official" prevention and assistance attempts when such disasters occur.

Keywords : Risk; Vulnerability; Survival Strategies; Livestock; Garay.