MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Punta Arenas promotes rhubarb as an alternative crop

Magallanes Region is promoting rhubarb as an alternative crop for local small farmers and garden plots in the south of Chile where climate conditions are described ideal for the plant.

Quality and innocuous concepts, need of nutrients, water supply, basic requirements and global climate change are some of the issues to be addressed during a seminar for small farmers on how to improve yields and profits. The conference is sponsored by Magallanes Endeavour which promotes alternative crops and in this particular case is directed by Julio Yagello a natural resources engineers, an expert in the region's geology, soils and climate. The initiative is known as the "program for the capture, transfer and divulging of technologies appropriate for rhubarb production", and apparently has had an encouraging response from Punta Arenas residents. Yagello is scheduled to remain some time in the Punta Arenas area visiting farms and small plots, identifying different types of rhubarb strains and helping with the management of garden and more industrial crops His work includes three workshops, one theoretical and two on the field.