The North of Argentina is home to the greatest environmental, cultural and productive diversity of the country.

The forests and wetlands of Northern Argentina are large carbon stores and also have great potential to increase their role as sinks if properly managed.

Thanks to its natural diversity, agricultural production includes sugarcane crops, soybeans, cereals, rice, cotton, tobacco, vegetables, tropical fruit (citrus, bananas, avocados, mangos, papaya), yerba mate, tea and forest plantations; as well as with various livestock productions, fishing (wild and farmed) and mining.

However, environmental and productive diversity is not in line with the standard of living of its population. This region is home to 20 per cent of the country’s population, but is home to 54 per cent of the country’s households with unmet basic needs (UBN) (National Institute of Statistics and Censures 2010, INDEC in its Spanish acronym).

GNP per capita in the region is half the national average. The rural population, which predominates in this region, faces challenges such as climate change and lack of access to basic services. Vulnerability lies primarily with women and young people, who face gaps in access to opportunities and fundamental rights.