On July 21, 2015, the project titled “Toward Answers to Three Unresolved Questions Concerning Uruguay’s Agricultural Sector,” led by Dr. Francisco Rosas, a professor in the Department of Economics at Universidad ORT Uruguay, received funding through the 2014 María Viñas Fund of the National Agency for Research and Innovation (ANII).
The project addresses three topics of current relevance to the Uruguayan agricultural sector. The first involves proposing methodologies for assessing the feasibility of using irrigation systems in agriculture, which quantify the benefits to producers resulting from the reduction in the variability of their expected income brought about by the use of irrigation.
The second is similar to the first, but applies to livestock production systems based on the sustainable management of natural pastures, which, by generating less volatile meat production, also benefits the producer. This topic is considered relevant because there is currently a debate regarding the adoption of sustainable natural pasture management practices.
The third involves quantitatively documenting which factors—and to what extent—influence the variation in the price ratio between fattened and pregnant cows in Uruguay. This is an important issue for the country, as Uruguay typically exhibits a trend in this regard that is opposite to that of the region and other beef-producing countries.