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CoNEAT: please explain

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bisonburgher

11/28/2015 16:33 EST

[Promoted from the "Howdy" thread because the value of CoNEAT scoring keeps coming up re: the agricultural-economic value of a property.]

If I'm reading the MGAP site correctly , then CoNEAT is a cadastral program for estimating agricultural productivity, not fertility. At least that's what the original 1968 law sets out (Ley No. 13.695, Artículo 65).

Artículo 68 goes on to explicitly define the mean (may translate as 'average') CoNEAT score to be the number of kilos of beef cattle, dairy cattle, or sheep a hectare of land is likely to produce. It doesn't mention agronomy or fertility. The text also implies that aerial photography (via the Uruguayan Air Force) is the primary -- maybe the only -- assessment methodology, which doesn't seem 100% empirical.

So my first question is whether or not a nationwide program of soil testing (=> fertility) has been incorporated into the CoNEAT system since 1968. Assuming soils *are* being tested nationwide on a regular basis, how does MGAP derive a meaningful univariate score from the dozens of chemical, biological, structural, and environmental factors that contribute to soil fertility for a particular crop? Berries, e.g., require a completely different soil composition compared to fodder crops.

Don't know about Uruguay, but in El Norte having the soil & water tested is part of due diligence before buying any kind of agricultural land. Do people in UY really make a purchasing decision based on CoNEAT score alone? Feels like I'm missing something here ...

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carlitos

11/28/2015 18:50 EST

According my friend and who works as an agronomist in the Ministerio de ganaderia, Coneat was originally created to tax meat and woll. Its calculation methodology did not change since its creation back in the 70s. However it is widely used. It does not take into consideration the taxonomy of the soil. There is another place to check on soil taxonomy which is the RENARE - Direccion general de recursos renovables. Another thing I learn today from him is that if one wants to use any land above 100 hectares for agriculture one need to submit plan of the use of the soil to prevent erosion. Rice and fruits and few other cultures are except.

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bisonburgher

11/28/2015 20:13 EST

Mil gracias, @carlito. It looks like RENARE focuses on natural resource management, conservation, and sustainability. It is administered by the MGAP -- that's probably where your friend works?

Your reply led me to two RENARE maps in a Powerpoint deck (not on the Ministerio's website) showing, at a fairly granular level, the levels of risk for erosion and soil degradation across the country. Those were very informative -- perhaps even more so than the productivity score.

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carlitos

11/28/2015 21:42 EST

I think level of erosion tend to change along with the culture. so having the 2 pieces of information, I would check the site to confirm it works on what I would be planing to grow.

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