Mateo Alvarez balances rain, coffee, and the new frontier of forest land

When the first heavy showers of September arrived two weeks early, Mateo Alvarez stepped onto his shaded coffee terrace and felt the familiar dampness that signals a shift in the harvest calendar. The rain, heavier than the average 120 mm for this time of year, filled the irrigation canals that feed his yerba mate fields, prompting his team to adjust pruning schedules by a full week.

Mateo’s farm, a 45‑hectare cooperative member in the outskirts of San Vicente, has been watching the federal decree that removed the silver‑tailed Puna from protected status. While the policy opens new high‑altitude plots for coffee, it also brings uncertainty about how the forest’s micro‑climate will change, a factor Mateo monitors closely as he plans his next planting cycle.

“We have always let the rain tell us when to harvest,” Mateo says, his voice steady as he points to a row of ripe coffee cherries. “Now we also have to listen to the law and the council’s decisions, because they decide which hills we can work.”