Undergrowth and insects, traditionally regarded by farmers as problems to be addressed, have become indispensable allies to Uruguayan fruit growers who now see bees, butterflies and wild plants as a reservoir of biodiversity that enriches both crops and the ecosystem.
A glance down the paths that run between rows of pear trees and apple groves on the Pigato family's 65-hectare (160-acre) spread outside the southeastern town of Progreso is enough to notice that something has changed.