I arrived in October to warm weather, which is always a plus that time of year. It is early spring here and already everything is green and needing constant water. I am spending most of my time exploring South American agriculture and it is very different than ours. We are living in Santiago, which is known as region 5, and boasts a population of more than 5 million. The only downside with this beautiful part of the world is the pollution that accompanies a city this size located close to the Andean mountain range.
Agriculture is an important part of Chile's economy, next to mining and forestry.
Chile is the first producer of fruit and vegetables in the southern hemisphere, and exports products such as grapes, apples, kiwis, plums, apricots, cherries, strawberries and avocados. It is the biggest exporter of asparagus. It exports a good portion of that while importing none. I will be crop inspecting a very small portion of that canola acreage for one of our Canadian clients in January in Temuco, which is approximately 500 km south of Santiago. I am looking forward to the experience and hope there are no mosquitoes to contend with.