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Across the rugged steppes of Patagonia—which are projected to receive 20% less rainfall by the end of the century and where an expanding ozone hole exposes 30% of Argentina to desertification—the Saenz family has grown sheep on Tatay Ranch for 50 years. Amidst these challenging conditions, Catalina Saenz, the family’s fourth-generation sheep farmer, and her family maintain a flock of 3,000 sheep that produce high-quality wool.
Catalina leads the charge towards inclusive, sustainable ranching practices through Tatay Ranch and her community education initiative, OZONO. As part of Boomitra’s South America Grasslands Project, Boomitra partners with OZONO to scale regenerative ranching practices that increase soil organic carbon in the region.
Catalina’s journey began with her understanding that healthy soil leads to resilient grass, which leads to healthy sheep that produce top-quality wool. However, despite her family’s efforts to regenerate, severe drought led to a decline in Tatay’s livestock over the years, similar to other farms in the area.
The Saenz family is working alongside Boomitra to turn the tide. The Boomitra rancher dashboard provides them with crucial data to inform their stewardship. For example, soil health metrics let Catalina know if she needs to sell sheep to let grass grow more. “Boomitra gives us information to make better decisions. We have consistent information about our farm.”
The Boomitra dashboard enables Catalina to operate more efficiently. Patagonia’s ranches are expansive, and it can take half a day on horseback to reach some pastures. Now, with Boomitra’s dashboard and remote sensing technology, she has instant access to vital information, enhancing her efficiency.
“We have started to see the regeneration happen and want to understand how to maintain it. We work with the earth; it’s not something that we just use.” – Catalina
Catalina aims to scale her impact beyond Tatay Ranch; through OZONO, she is connecting with the local community, focusing on empowering young women in ranching—a field traditionally dominated by men. OZONO aims to be a guiding example for female ranchers. “We show girls how to work in the farm and we try to give them the necessary knowledge to be able to work in this sector. That is, it’s not just about the grass; we try to teach them how to do everything there is to be done in the ranch so they can really be involved in that sector.”
OZONO connects other ranches with Boomitra to help them understand their grass, soil conditions, and regenerative practices that make sense in their local context. “The only thing a producer wants is to stay a producer,” Catalina notes. “They don’t want to give up. They need solutions, but they don’t have them. So when I start to talk about regenerative practices, they start to have hope in the ability to keep producing… It’s something really important for the people here. For me it’s good to be part of something that can be a solution for our environment.”
Soil carbon credits, regenerative ranching, and digital tools open new opportunities for ranchers in Patagonia.
“Boomitra gives me the possibility to better understand what is going on in order to help build a better future.” – Catalina
Alongside creating a program to empower rural women, OZONO is a pioneer in environmental management and sustainable practices in Patagonia. The team spearheads innovative strategies to fight desertification through diverse methods specific to each producer, such as comprehensive grazing, strategic supplementation, and field rotation techniques.
OZONO is also a pioneer in utilizing renewable energy. By incorporating solar and wind energy into their operations, they are lowering carbon emissions and enhancing resource efficiency, thus facilitating a shift toward a more sustainable production model.
As our local implementation partner, OZONO contributes essential regional expertise and cultural insights to our soil carbon initiatives.
Without intervention, the future of ranching in Patagonia is unclear. What is clear, though, is the commitment of ranchers like Catalina and her family to promote restoration and growth. “I want to produce in a sustainable way. I want all the people—the families who live off this kind of thing—to be able to do it in the future as well.”
With the necessary information and tools, there is hope that farmers can continue farming, and ranchers can continue ranching. In our Grassland Restoration through Soil Enrichment in South America project, OZONO and Boomitra bring these tools to Patagonia. This work, Catalina says, “is an adventure. It’s our life. We are part of the environment.”
Through her work with Boomitra and OZONO, Catalina Saenz exemplifies the power of combining tradition with innovation for a better future
Interested in learning more? Contact our team.