Chaco Area Reproductive Ecology Program

The C.A.R.E. Program explores the complex interaction between environmental variables (availability of resources, cultural practices, socioeconomic status) and fertility and health patterns in populations of northern Argentina.

Photo caption: Children in the Toba village of El Churcal, province of Formosa, Argentina.

Where
Indigenous (Toba and Wichí) and non-indigenous populations in the province of Formosa, Gran Chaco region of Argentina, in the border with Paraguay.

Researcher
Claudia R. Valeggia, University of Pennsylvania

Additional Sponsors
National Geographic Society
Leakey Foundation
Wenner-Gren Foundation
Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania
Population Aging Research Center, University of Pennsylvania

The C.A.R.E. program has several long-term objectives:

• To study the impact of the drastic lifestyle changes that the indigenous populations are experiencing on their fertility.
• To investigate the effect of transculturation on the health status of Chacoan indigenous populations.
• To explore the influence of child rearing practices on infant and children’s growth and development.