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A new climate for grazing livestock
Abstract
Colombia's sustainable cattle ranching programme restores degraded land while boosting livestock production and making farmland more resilient to climate change.
... En el contexto de la reconversión de la ganadería extensiva hacia sistemas ganaderos sustentables, el aprovechamiento de la diversidad arbórea y arbustiva local es una oportunidad de fácil acceso para los productores, debido a los múltiples usos y servicios ambientales que ofrece este recurso. El potencial de los árboles nativos para el diseño de sistemas silvopastoriles (SSP) ha sido ampliamente reconocido por su importancia productiva y por alta viabilidad para impulsar sistemas competitivos (Palmer, 2014). Asimismo, se sabe de sus múltiples beneficios ambientales en la restauración y conectividad de ecosistemas permitiendo la conservación de la biodiversidad, y otros beneficios sociales y culturales y aportando a la seguridad alimentaria (Marinidou et al., 2013;Ferguson et al., 2013). ...
... Al respecto, Ávila-Foucalt, 2014 encontraron en México que, por cada peso invertido por un ganadero en sistemas silvopastoriles, puede recuperar hasta 3.56 pesos, mientras que en un sistema convencional logra 1.66 pesos. En cuanto a la innovación tecnológica, se ha sugerido que es posible desarrollar prototipos de SSP acordes al contexto sociocultural, principalmente en el trópico latinoamericano (Maya-Martínez et al., 2019;Palmer, 2014;Bacab et al., 2013), y en cuanto a aspectos de política pública, se ha mencionado la importancia de los apoyos de instituciones gubernamentales y no gubernamentales para los procesos de adopción de SSP (Flores-González et al, 2019 ;Lerner et al., 2017;Zepeda-Cancino et al., 2016). Aunque hay múltiples estudios de adopción, extensionismo o transferencia de tecnología agroforestal en México, la mayoría de ellos se ha centrado en analizar estos procesos en sistemas agroforestales, donde el maíz, el café o la forestería son los cultivos principales (Casey andCaviglia, 2000: Mercer et al., 2003) Asimismo, en el sureste de México, no se sabe de estudios que hayan analizado la situación actual de los procesos de masificación o escalamiento para la promoción y adopción de SSP. ...
... Aunque hay evidencias de que la implementación de sistemas silvopastoriles requiere de un aumento en el uso y costo de mano de obra durante la implementación, acciones de planificación, capacitación y financiamiento, la rentabilidad se logra en un lapso de tres a cinco años (Ávila-Foucalt , 2014), pero la falta de una visión de los productores para invertir estratégicamente, y poca cultura financiera, hacen que se desaprovechen mecanismos financieros para lograr el cambio tecnológico. Por otro lado, la presencia de arbolado en áreas de pastoreo, crean buenas condiciones micro climáticas y puede permitir al ganado tener ventajas en su condición corporal y en sus índices productivos (Palmer, 2014), debido a las interacciones positivas del árbol sobre el animal y pastura. Sin embargo, densidades altas de árboles en áreas de pastoreo pueden también reducir la productividad y disponibilidad de forraje si no se manejan las adecuadas interacciones entre tipo de pastura, densidad de árboles y carga animal (Muhammad y Villanueva, 2007). ...
p> Background: The global community has recognized silvopastoral systems (SPS) as an alternative to contribute to the resolution of various socio-environmental problems derived from extensive livestock farming, deforestation, climate change and the current pandemic derived from SARS-CoV-2. Its technical and social viability has motivated various sectors of society to promote its massification or scaling. However, although there are important advances in agroforestry and silvopastoral scientific research in southeastern Mexico, there are no works that address the experiences of massification of silvopastoral systems. Objective: The objective of this study was to identify the experiences of massification of various projects of SSP, the participation of social actors and the barriers and trade-offs in their implementation in the state of Chiapas (Mexico). Methodology : The study considered an analysis period from 2000 to 2020. A review of scientific and technical documents was made, various social actors were interviewed (livestock producers, technicians from international and national development agencies, technicians and advisers from peasant organizations, technicians from non-governmental organizations, academics from research centers and universities) who have promoted SPS and good livestock practices in Chiapas. Two participatory workshops were held. Results. A timeline was built and five relevant experiences of massification of SPS in various agroecological regions of Chiapas were analyzed: a) Scolel Té Project, b) Puyacatengo Agreement (Red Selva), c) Sustainable Rural Development Project in Biological Corridors , d) Innovative mechanisms for a cooperation program towards adaptation to climate change in the Sierra Madre and Costa de Chiapas, e) Early Action Initiatives for Mitigation in livestock areas (IAT-REDD +) and e) Agrosilvopastoral Biodiversity and Livestock Landscapes Project Sustainable (BioPaSOS). Various socio-environmental barriers and alliances between multiple social actors are shown. Implications: The work makes a contribution to the historicity of the massification processes of SPS and to the process of change in livestock. It is necessary to continue with an in-depth analysis of the social and technological impact that the various massification initiatives shown have had. Conclusions : The massification process that occurred between the years of study has shown the importance of alliances between various social sectors (producers-development agencies-academia-Governments), which has allowed the transition from local projects to projects with broad territorial coverage.</p
... En el contexto de la reconversión de la ganadería extensiva hacia sistemas ganaderos sustentables, el aprovechamiento de la diversidad arbórea y arbustiva local es una oportunidad de fácil acceso para los productores, debido a los múltiples usos y servicios ambientales que ofrece este recurso. El potencial de los árboles nativos para el diseño de sistemas silvopastoriles (SSP) ha sido ampliamente reconocido por su importancia productiva y por alta viabilidad para impulsar sistemas competitivos (Palmer, 2014). Asimismo, se sabe de sus múltiples beneficios ambientales en la restauración y conectividad de ecosistemas permitiendo la conservación de la biodiversidad, y otros beneficios sociales y culturales y aportando a la seguridad alimentaria (Marinidou et al., 2013;Ferguson et al., 2013). ...
... Al respecto, Ávila-Foucalt, 2014 encontraron en México que, por cada peso invertido por un ganadero en sistemas silvopastoriles, puede recuperar hasta 3.56 pesos, mientras que en un sistema convencional logra 1.66 pesos. En cuanto a la innovación tecnológica, se ha sugerido que es posible desarrollar prototipos de SSP acordes al contexto sociocultural, principalmente en el trópico latinoamericano (Maya-Martínez et al., 2019;Palmer, 2014;Bacab et al., 2013), y en cuanto a aspectos de política pública, se ha mencionado la importancia de los apoyos de instituciones gubernamentales y no gubernamentales para los procesos de adopción de SSP (Flores-González et al, 2019 ;Lerner et al., 2017;Zepeda-Cancino et al., 2016). Aunque hay múltiples estudios de adopción, extensionismo o transferencia de tecnología agroforestal en México, la mayoría de ellos se ha centrado en analizar estos procesos en sistemas agroforestales, donde el maíz, el café o la forestería son los cultivos principales (Casey andCaviglia, 2000: Mercer et al., 2003) Asimismo, en el sureste de México, no se sabe de estudios que hayan analizado la situación actual de los procesos de masificación o escalamiento para la promoción y adopción de SSP. ...
... Aunque hay evidencias de que la implementación de sistemas silvopastoriles requiere de un aumento en el uso y costo de mano de obra durante la implementación, acciones de planificación, capacitación y financiamiento, la rentabilidad se logra en un lapso de tres a cinco años (Ávila-Foucalt , 2014), pero la falta de una visión de los productores para invertir estratégicamente, y poca cultura financiera, hacen que se desaprovechen mecanismos financieros para lograr el cambio tecnológico. Por otro lado, la presencia de arbolado en áreas de pastoreo, crean buenas condiciones micro climáticas y puede permitir al ganado tener ventajas en su condición corporal y en sus índices productivos (Palmer, 2014), debido a las interacciones positivas del árbol sobre el animal y pastura. Sin embargo, densidades altas de árboles en áreas de pastoreo pueden también reducir la productividad y disponibilidad de forraje si no se manejan las adecuadas interacciones entre tipo de pastura, densidad de árboles y carga animal (Muhammad y Villanueva, 2007). ...
Background: The global community has recognized silvopastoral systems (SPS) as an alternative to contribute to the resolution of various socio-environmental problems derived from extensive livestock farming, deforestation, climate change and the current pandemic derived from SARS-CoV-2. Its technical and social viability has motivated various sectors of society to promote its massification or scaling. However, although there are important advances in agroforestry and silvopastoral scientific research in southeastern Mexico, there are no works that address the experiences of massification of silvopastoral systems. Objective: The objective of this study was to identify the experiences of massification of various projects of SSP, the participation of social actors and the barriers and trade-offs in their implementation in the state of Chiapas (Mexico). Methodology: The study considered an analysis period from 2000 to 2020. A review of scientific and technical documents was made, various social actors were interviewed (livestock producers, technicians from international and national development agencies, technicians and advisers from peasant organizations, technicians from non-governmental organizations, academics from research centers and universities) who have promoted SPS and good livestock practices in Chiapas. Two participatory workshops were held. Results. A timeline was built and five relevant experiences of massification of SPS in various agroecological regions of Chiapas were analyzed: a) Scolel Té Project, b) Puyacatengo Agreement (Red Selva), c) Sustainable Rural Development Project in Biological Corridors , d) Innovative mechanisms for a cooperation program towards adaptation to climate change in the Sierra Madre and Costa de Chiapas, e) Early Action Initiatives for Mitigation in livestock areas (IAT-REDD +) and e) Agrosilvopastoral Biodiversity and Livestock Landscapes Project Sustainable (BioPaSOS). Various socio-environmental barriers and alliances between multiple social actors are shown. Implications: The work makes a contribution to the historicity of the massification processes of SPS and to the process of change in livestock. It is necessary to continue with an in-depth analysis of the social and technological impact that the various massification initiatives shown have had. Conclusions: The massification process that occurred between the years of study has shown the importance of alliances between various social sectors (producers-development agencies-academia-Governments), which has allowed the transition from local projects to projects with broad territorial coverage.
... Integrated livestock-crop production systems, including the grazing of cover crops (Smart et al., 2021;Sulc & Franzluebbers, 2014) are an emergent adaptive management strategy. Integrated livestock-crop production systems can reduce enterprise risk, restore degraded land, increase productivity, and diversify production (Palmer, 2014). In addition, by integrating livestock with crops as well as with forests, manure from livestock can be used as fertilizer to improve soil nutrient status and soil organic matter (Sulc & Franzluebbers, 2014). ...
... At the enterprise level, virtual fence and other technologies offer innovative opportunities to apply precision grazing and livestock management to US grazing lands (Bailey et al., 2021) by providing manager flexibility in location of livestock on the landscape for a period of time without constraints in current fence infrastructure that often delineates tracts of land (e.g., quarter sections and sections). Finally, agroforestry provides an adaptation strategy in many temperate grazing lands around the world (Lehmann et al., 2020;Palmer, 2014), but to date, adoption has been limited in US grazing lands (Romanova et al., 2022). However, a recent case study evaluating the practice of integrated sheep-vineyard systems in California documented high levels of adopter satisfaction with the practice and reduced input and labor costs relative to non-adopters (Ryschawy et al., 2021). ...
We outline practical considerations for grazing land adaptations with a changing climate, with an emphasis on the ranch operation scale and specific attention to directional climate changes and increased climate variability. These adaptive strategies fall into two themes: flexibility and learning under uncertainty. Ranches and livestock operations with greater land, social, or other capital resources may have more flexibility. Risk can be reduced for managers (ranchers, farmers, operators, and livestock managers) through participation in conservation or farm policy programs and/or market‐based approaches. Bolstering adaptive capacity across landscapes and time can originate from social capital of operators and strategic collaborations among managers and scientists. As climate diverges from historical baselines and the realm of managers’ experiential knowledge, new conceptual frameworks are needed to structure conversations, influence research relevancy and impact, and drive imaginative solutions among researchers, managers, and local communities for socio‐ecological systems. We provide simplified frameworks to help guide conversation, future research, and new imaginative solutions for systems‐scale knowledge needs and adaptation to address increasingly uncertain and complex change at multiple scales. Practical considerations for adaptive strategies by grazing land managers with a changing climate will be accelerated through (1) collaborative efforts among managers and explicitly with science–management partnerships becoming more mainstream, (2) co‐produced research with managers and researchers at ranch scales, (3) development of communities of practice and associated learning opportunities, and (4) continued co‐development and advancement of technologies and tools that result in high uptake adoption by ranch managers.
... Por otro lado, las áreas de pastoreo con la presencia de árboles pueden ganar carbono al menos en la biomasa aérea; asimismo, el ganado puede tener ventajas en su condición corporal y en sus índices productivos (Jiménez-Ferrer et al. 2008a;Palmer, 2014) debido a las interacciones positivas del árbol sobre el animal y la pastura. Sin embargo, densidades altas de árboles en áreas de pastoreo pueden también reducir la productividad y disponibilidad de forraje si no se manejan las adecuadas interacciones entre tipo de pastura, densidad de árboles y carga animal ). ...
... Los SSP son una estrategia importante (Palmer, 2014) como lo son también los mecanismos de adaptación de las comunidades indígenas y campesinas, quienes cuentan con estrategias, conocimientos y tecnologías tradicionales para adaptarse a los distintos cambios, aunque estas han sido vistas como un atraso (Chapela y Ruiz-Noriega, 2015). Asimismo, en un escenario de agricultura o ganadería comunitarios o en contextos de áreas protegidas las acciones colectivas mediadas por reglas claras, sanciones y vigilancia para un buen funcionamiento son necesarias, como lo han mostrado algunas experiencias (Cano-Díaz et al. 2015). ...
... La ganadería tropical en América Latina, primordialmente está basada en el pastoreo de pastos naturales e introducidos bajo sistemas extensivos (4) , con escasa o nula suplementación, escasa infraestructura y poco capital (5) . En este contexto, los sistemas silvopastoriles y el aprovechamiento de árboles y arbustos forrajeros locales, ha sido una opción viable para mejorar los sistemas productivos ganaderos, reducir su impacto ambiental y contribuir en la mitigación de los GEI (6)(7)(8)(9) . ...
... La formulación de las dietas fueron isoenergeticas e isoproteicas formuladas para cubrir las demandas de ovinos adultos utilizados en la unidad silvopastoril, con un contenido de 2,200 kcal/kg y 14 % de PC. La fermentación in vitro de cada uno de los tratamientos se realizó por triplicado en viales de vidrio color ámbar de 90 ml introduciendo 0.5 ± 0.001 g de sustrato, y se evaluó la fermentación mediante la producción de gas a diferentes tiempos (0, 2,4,6,8,10,12,16,20,24,30,36,48, 60, 72 h). El manejo de los borregos y la extracción del líquido ruminal se realizó de acuerdo a lo indicado por Alexander y McGowan (27) , Blummel y Orskov (28) y bajo las normas de bienestar animal del grupo de investigación en ganadería sustentable de ECOSUR. ...
Se evaluaron mediante la técnica de producción de gas in vitro, fuentes energéticas locales (melaza, Zea mays L. y Musa paradisiaca L.) sobre la fermentación ruminal y producción de metano de diversos forrajes usados en un sistema silvopastoril con Panicum maximum cv. Tanzania, Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) y Leucaena leucocephala cv. Cunningham, con ovinos. Se usaron cinco borregos Pelibuey x Katahdin 40 ± 3 (μ±DE) kg como donantes de líquido ruminal. Se analizaron cinco tratamientos (dietas) con diferentes mezclas de follaje de arbóreas y fuentes energéticas en un diseño experimental completamente al azar. M. paradisiaca y Z. mays presentaron los mayores registros de volumen (V) máximo en producción de gas (544 y 467 ml/g-1 MS, respectivamente) (P≤0.05). El follaje de G. sepium y L. leucocephala tuvieron los menores valores de V (253 y 180 ml/g-1 MS, respectivamente) (P≤0.05). La dieta D4 GMP (48 % P. maximum, 30 % G. sepium, 7 % Zea mays, 15 % M. paradisiaca) registro el mayor valor de V. No hubo diferencia (P>0.05) en la producción de metano en las dietas usadas, teniendo un rango de 6.31 a 9.60 de LCH4/kg MSDIG. Se generó un índice de emisión potencial de gases fermentables (IPEGF), el cual sugirió que dietas con carbohidratos de lenta fermentación, contribuyen a un índice más alto de emisión de gases. Por su mejoramiento en la calidad de las dietas y en contribuir en una baja de emisiones de CH4, se sugiere el manejo de arbóreas forrajeras como G. sepium y L. leucocephala, incorporando fuentes energéticas locales.
... Dentro de la búsqueda de estrategias para la mitigación al CC, hay un amplio abanico de oportunidades tecnológicas basadas en la agroforestería, la agroecología, y opciones de buenas prácticas ganaderas (BPG), reconocidas mundialmente como alternativas viables y al alcance de las poblaciones locales; por ejemplo, en el contexto de reconversión de la ganadería extensiva, el aprovechamiento de la diversidad arbórea y arbustiva local es una oportunidad de fácil acceso a los productores debido a los múltiples usos y servicios ambientales que ofrece este recurso. El potencial de árboles para el diseño de sistemas silvopastoriles (SS) ha sido también mundialmente reconocido, por su importancia productiva y de servicios ambientales (Murgueitio, 2014;Palmer, 2014). En el sureste de México existen especies arbóreas nativas que cumplen funciones múltiples como: producción de madera, leña, forraje, alimento, medicinas, además proporcionan servicios como sombra, mejoran el suelo, sirven de corredores biológicos que pueden ser utilizados en sistemas agroforestales, mejoran las prácticas de producción ganadera y mitigan los efectos del CC. ...
... Asimismo, también existen experiencias, a diferente escala, que muestran el papel estratégico que han tenido la agroforestería, la reforestación, la venta de servicios ambientales y las BP, donde han interactuado y colaborado productores, investigadores y agentes del desarrollo. Ejemplos como los proyectos silvopastoriles multinacionales implementados por CATIE-CIPAV, en Centro y Sudamérica (Muhammad, 2007;Palmer, 2014); el Proyecto Scolel'te ("Árbol que crece", en tzeltal), en el sureste de México (Soto Pinto et al., 2013), y la Red de Ganadería Sustentable y Cambio Climático, en el estado de Chiapas, muestran la posibilidad de la "masificación" a diferente escala, y su aporte con respecto a diversas alternativas para combatir la pobreza, conservar los recursos forestales, diversificar la agricultura y adaptarse a los efectos del cambio climático (Cuadro 3). La adaptación al CC requiere que técnicos, funcionarios, campesinos y productores realicen cambios o ajustes en la forma de producir, y logren una mejor habilidad para manejar el riesgo, ya sea por sequía o inundaciones debidas al CC. ...
Resumen. El sureste de México (SM) no está exento de los efectos del cambio climático (CC), de aquí deriva la importancia de buscar alternativas de mitiga-ción y promover estrategias participativas de adopción y adaptación. El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo revisar los avances en mitigación y adaptación al CC en el sector ganadero en el SM, y resaltar las contribuciones de los sistemas agroforestales-silvopastoriles (SS) y las buenas prácticas ganaderas (BPG). En las últimas décadas, en el SM el principal sector emisor de gases de efecto in-vernadero (GEI) ha sido el cambio de uso de suelo y la silvicultura (USCUSS), con más de 50% de emisiones ocasionadas por la deforestación y transformación en áreas de agricultura para granos básicos, cultivos comerciales y pastizales para ganadería bovina. El segundo sector, en el rango de emisiones, ha sido el agrícola (incluyendo al ganadero), emitiendo entre 18-20%. De este sector, la ganadería bovina ha contribuido con más de 80% de las emisiones de GEI, las cuales son ocasionadas por la fermentación entérica. En este contexto, los SS y las BPG son una estratégica opción para mitigar y adaptarse el CC. En una revi-sión de investigaciones previas y proyectos de desarrollo en el sureste de México, se ha encontrado que los sistemas agroforestales, las BPG y el uso de prácticas
... These bene ts include improvements in soil physical, chemical, and biological properties (Santos et al. 2022 Among the shrub resources for SPS is the utilization of Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsl.) A. Gray, a perennial shrub belonging to the Asteraceae family, native from Mexico and Central America and widely distributed in the tropics and subtropics (Sampaio et al. 2016; Rai et al. 2023). T. diversifolia has been used as forage source in silvopastoral arrangements or as cut-and-carry forage (Mauricio et al. 2014;Palmer 2014). It exhibits greater biomass production and nutritional value compared to tropical grasses and demonstrates broad adaptability to different edaphoclimatic conditions, with the potential to enhance animal productivity by improving fermentative e ciency and reducing enteric methane (CH 4 ) emissions (Rivera et al. 2021(Rivera et al. , 2022Mahecha et al. 2022). ...
Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsl.) A. Gray has significant potential as a forage source in silvopastoral systems, particularly in tropical conditions. However, its intensity and frequency management differ from those commonly applied to grasses. This study aims to evaluate T. diversifolia under two harvest intensities (30 and 40 cm stubble height) and four harvest frequencies (21, 28, 35, and 42 days), aligning with Brazil’s traditional tropical grass management practices. Biomass production and nutritive value of forage, as well as in vitro rumen fermentation parameters were assessed. We observed that the tested harvest intensities have a limited impact on the biomass production and nutritional value of T. diversifolia. Despite the linear increase in biomass production, lower harvest frequencies (i.e., longer regrowth period) significantly affects nutritional value, impacting the products of ruminal fermentation, as indicated by the in vitro assay. The methane production per gram of degraded organic matter (OM) and the OM allocated for microbial biomass production are affected by the harvest frequencies. Additionally, we observed that rainfall and canopy height have stronger correlation with biomass production than harvest frequencies controlled by days. We conclude that T. diversifolia is minimally affected by harvest intensities and, for Brazilian edaphoclimatic conditions, it can be harvested with higher frequencies than those suggested for other regions.
... A escala global, mucho se ha discutido sobre la ganadería bovina extensiva en torno a sus serios efectos sobre la degradación de los recursos naturales (Szott et al., 2000), pérdida de la biodiversidad y su papel en las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero (Lerner et al. 2017;Rosete-Vergés et al., 2014). En este contexto, los sistemas silvopastoriles (SSP) han sido una opción viable para la producción pecuaria de manera sustentable en muchas partes del mundo (Palmer, 2014;Huertas, et al., 2021). Los SSP, son una modalidad agroforestal donde se combinan deliberadamente animales con planta herbáceas (principalmente gramíneas y leguminosas), arbustos y árboles para mejorar la respuesta animal y tener también otros usos y servicios complementarios. ...
p> Background . Silvopastoral systems are viable agroforestry option to move toward sustainable livestock and rural development. Objective . to analyze the level of adoption of silvopastoral techniques by beneficiary producers of three converging projects in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas region (Mexico), during the 2008-2017 period. Methodology . Forty-two Cattle Production Units (UPP, for its acronym in Spanish) from the municipalities of Villaflores, La Concordia and Pijijiapan (Chiapas) were diagnosed by socioeconomic and technical variables. A Silvopastoral Systems Development Index (IDESSP, for its acronym in Spanish) was used to evaluate their level of adoption. Results. The global IDESSP of UPP was 52%. UPP in the “High” level of adoption reached an IDESSP of 74% (± 6.2), “Medium” an index of 56% (± 5.3) and located in the “Low” group was 42% (± 3.1). The socio-educational characteristics (age of the producer, years of experience in livestock activity, education level) and the productive variables (land area, herd size, milk production / day, annual income) were different (P <0.05) between the groups. The significant variables (P> 0.001) that allowed a greater adoption of silvopastoral practices were the average annual income of each family, the availability of total land, and the collaboration that the rancher had with other social sectors. Implications . The low adoption of silvopastoral techniques encourages the continuation of conventional livestock practices with negative effects on natural resources, diminishes the capacities for strengthening and social organization, and limits the processes of scaling-up or massification of SSP. Conclusions. The level of adoption of silvopastoral techniques among the UPP was intermediate, which was subject to availability of land, years of experience, educational level and number of links for the production of each owner of the production units, the area under actions of conservation were greater than silvopastoral techniques.</p
... Bringing of mixed ruminant livestock farming system is a strategy for adapting to climatic change [32]. According to [33], integrated livestock-crop production systems are an emergent management strategy and as [34] stated that integrated livestock-crop production systems can reduce enterprise risk, restore degraded land, increase productivity, diversify production, and enhance resiliency of the land. For more, by integrating ruminant livestock with crops as well as with forests, manure from livestock can be used as fertilizer to improve soil nutrient status and soil organic matter [33]. ...
Climate change affects ruminant livestock production systems through direct impacts on animal physiology and production, while indirectly through feed availability, water availability composition, and quality. These impacts may be positive or negative and will vary across geographical regions, animal species, and adaptive capacity. The ruminant animal productions have several adaptive mechanisms to maintain homeostasis through behavioral, physiological, and morphological. The Potential adaptation strategies involve land-use decisions, animal feeding changes, genetic manipulation, breeding , and species improvement, and alteration. Integrated livestock-crop production systems can reduce impact, and increase productivity, diversify production, and enhance resiliency ruminant livestock productions. So, adaptation strategies of ruminant livestock's productions have ability to survive, and reproduce in the conditions of poor nutrition, parasites, and diseases, as well as their tolerance to heat. Pastoral Mobility was a survival and resource management strategy commonly practiced by herder societies for increased adaptability to climate changes. Ruminant livestock is also an important component of all farming systems and provide draught power, milk, meat, manure, hides, skins, and other products for most countries. A review of this seminar paper was prepared on the adaptation of the ruminant livestock production system strategies to climate change. Effective adaptation strategies to minimize negative impacts on ruminant production systems due to climate change will need to be multi-dimensional.
... A escala global, mucho se ha discutido sobre la ganadería bovina extensiva en torno a sus serios efectos sobre la degradación de los recursos naturales (Szott et al., 2000), pérdida de la biodiversidad y su papel en las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero (Lerner et al. 2017;Rosete-Vergés et al., 2014). En este contexto, los sistemas silvopastoriles (SSP) han sido una opción viable para la producción pecuaria de manera sustentable en muchas partes del mundo (Palmer, 2014;Huertas, et al., 2021). Los SSP, son una modalidad agroforestal donde se combinan deliberadamente animales con planta herbáceas (principalmente gramíneas y leguminosas), arbustos y árboles para mejorar la respuesta animal y tener también otros usos y servicios complementarios. ...
Background. Silvopastoral systems are viable agroforestry option to move toward sustainable livestock and rural development. Objective. to analyze the level of adoption of silvopastoral techniques by beneficiary producers of three converging projects in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas region (Mexico), during the 2008-2017 period. Methodology. Forty-two Cattle Production Units (UPP, for its acronym in Spanish) from the municipalities of Villaflores, La Concordia and Pijijiapan (Chiapas) were diagnosed by socioeconomic and technical variables. A Silvopastoral Systems Development Index (IDESSP, for its acronym in Spanish) was used to evaluate their level of adoption. Results. The global IDESSP of UPP was 52%. UPP in the “High” level of adoption reached an IDESSP of 74% (± 6.2), “Medium” an index of 56% (± 5.3) and located in the “Low” group was 42% (± 3.1). The socio-educational characteristics (age of the producer, years of experience in livestock activity, education level) and the productive variables (land area, herd size, milk production / day, annual income) were different (P <0.05) between the groups. The significant variables (P> 0.001) that allowed a greater adoption of silvopastoral practices were the average annual income of each family, the availability of total land, and the collaboration that the rancher had with other social sectors. Implications. The low adoption of silvopastoral techniques encourages the continuation of conventional livestock practices with negative effects on natural resources, diminishes the capacities for strengthening and social organization, and limits the processes of scaling-up or massification of SSP. Conclusions. The level of adoption of silvopastoral techniques among the UPP was intermediate, which was subject to availability of land, years of experience, educational level and number of links for the production of each owner of the production units, the area under actions of conservation were greater than silvopastoral techniques.
Key words: Agroforestry; adoption; silvopastoralism; livestock; technology transfer.
Antecedentes. Los sistemas silvopastoriles son una opción agroforestal para transitar hacia una ganadería sustentable y al desarrollo rural. Objetivo. Analizar el nivel de adopción de técnicas silvopastoriles por productores beneficiarios de tres proyectos que convergieron en la región Sierra Madre de Chiapas (México), en el periodo 2008-2017. Metodología. Se caracterizó a 42 unidades de producción pecuarias (UPP) de los municipios de Villaflores, La Concordia y Pijijiapan, (Chiapas), mediante variables socioeconómicas y técnicas. Para ello se utilizó un Índice de Desarrollo de Sistemas Silvopastoriles (IDESSP). Resultados. El IDESSP global de todos las UPP fue de 52%. Las UPP con un nivel "Alto" de adopción alcanzaron un IDESSP promedio de 74% (±6.2), los de en "Medio" un índice de 56% (±5.3) y los ubicados en el grupo "Bajo" fue de 42% (±3.1). Las características socioeducativas (edad del productor, años de experiencia en la actividad ganadera, nivel de educación) y las variables productivas (superficie del terreno, tamaño del hato, producción de leche/día, ingresos anuales) fueron diferentes (P < 0.05) entre los grupos. Las variables significativas (P> 0.001) que permitieron una mayor adopción de prácticas silvopastoriles fueron el ingreso †
... The pattern of animal husbandry based on agricultural supply is the reason for the changes in ecosystem pressure in this study. Modern animal husbandry has been steadily shifting from grazing to feeding with crops and its residues, and the flow of ecological resources from the agricultural system to the animal husbandry system has become a common phenomenon (Palmer, 2014;Van Zanten et al., 2018). About 40% of the world's arable land is used to produce feed, and 58% of the biomass that humans could use directly is used for animal husbandry (Mottet et al., 2017;Pelletier and Tyedmers, 2010). ...
The countries along the Belt and Road (B&R) are characterized by fragile ecosystems and underdevelopment economy. International trade usually transferred the eco-environmental negative impacts to developing countries. How to avoid the conflict between economic development and eco-environmental protection is the primary concern of building the Green Silk Road. To discover the adaptive strategies for ensuring the sustainability of the social-ecosystem in countries along the B&R, this study analyzes the supply-consumption relationship of ecological resources by simulating the flow of net primary productivity between the ecosystem and the social system. The results show that: (1) The flow of ecological resources between agricultural and husbandry systems have effectively alleviated the local ecological pressure caused by animal husbandry in countries along the B&R. Animal husbandry in developed countries economize the local ecological resources by importing feed, while mitigating the grazing pressure by utilizing the local crop residues in underdeveloped agricultural countries. (2) International trade not only enables countries with insufficient ecological resources to meet their demands by importing ecological products and thus alleviate ecosystem pressure, but also promotes countries with sufficient ecological resources to transform their resource advantages into economic advantages by exporting without at the expense of ecological sustainability. (3) For underdeveloped countries, the dependence of economic development on ecological resources is at the expense of the living demands of residents, only if the economy could have leap-forward improvement the allocation of ecological resources within the social system would be inclined to living demands. These adaptive approaches not only provide the evidences of ecological-social sustainable development by promoting the reasonable flow and allocation of ecological resources, but also imply the necessary assistance for the underdeveloped countries to guarantee the basic human well-being in economic development.
... En las regiones geoclimáticas tropicales del surestede México, Piñeiro- Vázquez et al. (2017), en un estudio con niveles crecientes de Leucaena leucocephala (0, 20, 40, 60 y 80%) en una dieta a base de Pennisetum purpureum, encontraron que tanto la producción diaria de metano como el rendimiento en g kg -1 MSI dismimuyó desde un 29.5 hasta 63% en este última variable con respecto a su dieta control; esta leguminosa tropical originaria de México ha mostrado ser eficaz en la reducción de las emisiones de metano por los rumiantes en regiones tropicales, y además incrementa la captura de carbono por el agroecosistema.El diseño de acciones y políticas para la mitigación de GEI y la adaptación de la ganadería al cambio climático debe contemplar varios aspectos, a fin de favorecer el desarrollo de sistemas de producción sostenibles. Los resultados anteriores evidencían el potencial de la inclusión de plantas taníferas, así como el uso de los sistemas silvopastoriles(Palmer, 2014) para contribuir hacia el desarrollo de una ganadería más amigable con el medio ambiente.La implementación de las estrategias, descritas arriba, para mitigar las emisiones de metano por el ganado bovino, tienen que ser gestionadas de forma integral, con el fin de visualizar su escalamiento a nivel regional y posteriormente a nivel nacional. En las regiones tropicales, con sistemas extensivos, se pueden aprovechar gran cantidad de plantas forrajeras; para lograr una mejor calidad y digestibilidad de la dieta, lo cual se reflejaría en una mayor productividad animal y, por lo tanto, en una reducción en la intensidad de las emisiones de metano por fermentación entérica. ...
El sector ganadero contribuye al calentamiento global con el 18% de la emisión antropogénica total de gases de efecto invernadero (GEI), estas emisiones tienen su origen en la producción y procesamiento de alimento para el ganado, el uso de tierra, la fermentación entérica y el manejo de desechos de los animales. Gracias a su eficiente sistema digestivo los rumiantes pueden aprovechar una gran diversidad de plantas forrajeras y transformarlas en alimentos de alto valor biológico para la humanidad, no obstante, como resultado de este proceso se pierde parte de la energía consumida por el animal en forma de gas metano (CH4). Para el año 2018, México contaba con un inventario de casi 32 millones de cabezas de ganado bovino (la más numerosa después de las aves de corral), el cual generaba alrededor de 2039.21 ± 205.5 Gg de CH4 al año, ocupando el octavo lugar entre los países productores de metano por fermentación entérica a nivel mundial. Por lo tanto, es importante, por un lado conocer, e identificar los factores que intervienen en la emisión de CH4 por fermentación entérica de los bovinos en México, para mejorar la eficiencia de utilización de la energía de los alimentos por los animales y reducir las pérdidas a través del CH4. Y, por otro lado, desarrollar métodos y procedimientos robustos para la generación de inventarios de éste gas, con el objetivo de desarrollar estrategias y políticas nacionales para la mitigación de emisiones de metano por fermentación entérica del ganado bovino en México, tales como la inclusión de plantas taníferas en la alimentación animal, y así diseñar e implementar políticas públicas adecuadas al contexto ganadero del país.
... Furthermore, the results of our analysis have implications for other pastoralist-wildlife systems around the world. Tensions over access to natural resources are on the rise globally (Laurance et al., 2014;Curtis et al., 2018;Mach et al., 2019) and particularly as it relates to livestock and wildlife conservation (Lamprey and Reid, 2004;Thornton, 2010;Palmer, 2014;Reid et al., 2016). We highlight that failure to proactively address natural resource competition of this type will only weaken conservation practice and threaten the well-being of pastoralists in these coupled human and natural systems. ...
Pastoralists and their livestock have long competed with wildlife over access to grazing on shared rangelands. In the dynamic 21st century however, the configuration and quality of these rangelands is changing rapidly. Climate change processes, human range expansion, and the fragmentation and degradation of rangeland habitat have increased competition between pastoralist livestock and wildlife. Interactions of this type are particularly apparent in East Africa, and perhaps most obvious in northern Kenya. In 2017, following months of intense drought, a pastoralist incursion of a protected area (Loisaba Conservancy) occurred in Laikipia County, Kenya. An estimated 40,000 livestock were herded onto the conservancy by armed pastoralists where the cattle were grazed for approximately three months. Using 53 camera trap sites across the 226 km 2 conservancy, we quantified spatial patterns in site visitation rates (via spatially-explicit, temporally-dynamic Bayesian models) for seven species of large mammalian herbivores in the three-month period directly before, during, and after the incursion. We detected significant changes in space use of all large mammalian herbivores during the incursion. Furthermore, these patterns did not return to their pre-incursion state in the three-month period after the pas-toralists and their livestock left the conservancy. Thus, in addition to reduced site vitiation rates for these large mammalian herbivores, we also detected considerable displacement in response to the livestock incursion. Our results illustrate that pastoralist incursions can cause large-scale disruptions of wildlife space use, supporting the notion that livestock can competitively exclude large mammalian herbivores from grazing access. We discuss the implications of this research for applied management decisions designed to alleviate competition among wildlife and pastoralist livestock for the benefit of wildlife conservation and pastoralist well-being.
... Integrated livestock-crop production systems (Sulc and Franzluebbers 2014) are an emergent management strategy. Integrated livestock-crop production systems can reduce enterprise risk, restore degraded land, increase productivity, diversify production, and enhance resiliency of the land (Palmer 2014). In addition, by integrating livestock with crops as well as with forests, manure from livestock can be used as fertilizer to improve soil nutrient status and soil organic matter (Sulc and Franzluebbers 2014). ...
Rangelands, 50 % of the earth’s land surface, produce a renewable resource of cellulose in plant biomass that is uniquely converted by ruminant livestock into animal protein for human consumption. Sustainably increasing global animal production for human consumption by 2050 is needed while reducing the environmental footprint of livestock production. To accomplish this, livestock producers can interseed legumes and use bioenergy protein by-products for increased dietary protein, develop forage “hot spots” on the landscape, use adaptive grazing management in response to a changing climate, incorporate integrated livestock-crop production systems, improve fertility to increase birth rates, and reduce livestock losses due to disease and pest pressure. Conceptual advances in livestock production systems have expanded the utility of livestock in conservation-oriented approaches that include (1) efforts to “engineer ecosystems” by altering vegetation structure for increased habitat and species diversity, and structural heterogeneity; (2) use of targeted grazing to reduce invasive annual grasses and invasive weeds, and fuel reduction to decrease wildfires; and (3) improvement of the distribution of livestock grazing across the landscape. Livestock production systems need to increase output of animal protein by implementation of knowledge and technology, but this production must be sustainable and society needs to have confidence that animals were raised in a humane and environmentally acceptable manner such that the quality and safety of the animal protein are acceptable for consumers.
... Mitigación al cambio climático en sistemas ganaderos La búsqueda de estrategias para mitigar el efecto del cambio climático ha comenzado a cobrar relevancia a nivel mundial. Existe un amplio abanico de oportunidades tecnológicas basadas en la agroforestería, agroecología, y opciones de buenas prácticas ganaderas (BPG) (Murgueitio et al., 2013;Palmer, 2014) que se traducen en ganadería con manejo orgánico o en proceso de transición a ésta. En el contexto de la ganadería extensiva que predomina en el sur de México, el aprovechamiento de la diversidad arbórea y arbustiva local es una oportunidad de fácil acceso a los productores, debido a los múltiples usos y servicios ambientales que ofrece este recurso. ...
In the states of Campeche, Chiapas and Tabasco, in Southern México, important socioeconomic changes have taken place in the last 80 years. The population and economic activities linked to agriculture and livestock production have increased. The latter has impacted the forest areas negatively in the last 35 years, and has contributed to the increase of greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. In addition, it has increased the vulnerability of the agricultural and livestock production systems, and of the human population devoted to this activity. To mitigate the effects of climate change and improve the sustainability of the livestock systems, agroecological strategies have been developed, such as forest grazing arrangements linked to producers of scarce economic resources as an option to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change, under the premise that tree and shrub species improves the quality of fodder and animal diet and can decrease the emissions of greenhouse gas emissions and induce the sustainability of
the systems.
... Tropical cattle's farming is still mainly based on pastures under an extensive grazing system [1]. In Latin America, silvopastoral systems have been widely promoted over recent years [2]; these agroforestry systems incorporate tree foliage and fodder shrubs to improve animal health, milk and meat production [3] [4] , in addition to promoting environmental services [5] . In this context, diverse holistic strategies for animal production that include the use of feed supplements to improve the production and consumption of foods of animal origin, have been implemented on a global scale [6 ]. ...
This study evaluated the effect of sorghum grain (Sg), green banana (Gb), polished rice (Pr), and sugarcane molasses (Mo) on the"in situ" digestibility ruminal kinetic of Poró (Erythrina poeppigiana) foliage under silvopastoral conditions in Turrialba, Costa Rica.Four ruminally cannulated Romosinuano steerswith a mean live weight of 450 kg (SD 31) were used. The experiment was designed as a 4 x 4 Latin Square with one square and four periods. Steers grazed in twelve paddocks on pasture composed of African star-grass (Cynodon niemfuensis), ruzzy grass (Brachiaria rusisiensis), and natural grasses (Axonopus compresus and Paspalum conjugatum), under a rotational grazing system. Energy sources were supplemented at 0.60 Mcal ME /100 kg (BW)/day. The steer were supplemented daily with fresh foliage (leaves, petioles, and stems) of Poróat 0.5 kg of DM/100 kg BW. Significant differences (P< 0.05) were found among the DM of energetic supplements for initial degradability, potential degradability and degradation rate. The effects of treatments on the degradability parameters of the DM of Erythrina and the grass blend as well as on N-NH3 and pH content, were not significant (P < 0.05). In addition, there were no significant differences (P< 0.05) among treatments for total concentration of volatile fatty acids (VFA´s) (mmol): (Pr = 87.0, Gb = 95.0, Sg =96.0, Mo = 87.0); however, the proportion of acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid presented significant differences (P >0.05) due to the effect of the molasses. The fermentation pattern was typical of cattlegrazing diets under tropical conditions, with the molar proportion of acetic acid greater than 65%, between 13 and 16%for propionic acid and between 9 and 12% for butyric acid.
... The bio-economic analysis in this study provided evidence on the economic benefits associated with the use of local energy sources such as bananas and molasses. There is a tendency to adopt silvopastoral systems in tropical regions of Latin America (Palmer, 2014). However, in southern Mexico and Central America, the adoption of energy supplementation has been slow, despite the availability of inexpensive local sources. ...
An experiment was carried out to determine the effect of four local energy sources (sorghum grain, green banana, polished rice, and sugarcane molasses) fed to dairy cows on intake, milk production and composition, and economic viability in a silvopastoral system in Costa Rica (Turrialba). Twelve grazing cows (Jersey × Central American Milking Creole), with a mean live weight of 332 kg (SD 34), were supplemented with 0.5 kg of dry matter (DM)/100 kg/LW of Erythrina porppigiana fresh foliage daily. Experimental design was a replicated change-over 4 × 4 Latin Square. The pasture composition was 11 and 17 % of star grass (Cynodon niemfuensis), 32 and 28 % of ruzzi grass (Brachiaria rusisiensis), and 45 and 42 % of natural grasses (Axonopus compresus and Paspalum conjugatum) at initial and final times of the essay, respectively. The grass allowance was 30.14 DM/cow/day. Significant differences were found among treatments for variable milk fat content (P < 0.05). Sorghum presented the highest (41.2 g/kg milk) content of milk fat, followed by green banana (39.2 g/kg milk), polished rice (38.3 g/kg milk) and molasses (38.1 g/kg milk). Non-significant differences (P > 0.05) resulted for total milk production (sorghum 9.0 kg/cow/day; green banana 8.9 kg/cow/day; polished rice 8.8 kg/cow/day; molasses 8.6 kg/cow/day) and fat-corrected milk (FCM). The financial analysis showed that all treatments were economically viable; however, supplementation with green bananas and molasses were the most favorable due to the low costs incurred.
Low-emissions livestock production can be achieved through scaling production systems integrating trees, forages, and livestock within the same area. Such systems are known as silvopastoral production systems (SPS). However, despite SPS reported benefits, adoption rates globally remain low. This paper, therefore, aims to inform land use policy oriented towards increasing SPS adoption. This study intends to capture this by assessing SPS adoption benefits, identifying determinants of SPS adoption, and thus to contribute to policy for scaling low-emissions livestock production. Data was collected on socioeconomic status, livestock farming technical and economic indicators, and farm and paddock practices through farm-level surveys in four municipalities in the Amazon Piedmont of Colombia. Unlike previous studies that assume homogeneous farm management, when in fact, it is heterogeneous, this study assessed SPS adoption determinants using the paddock (n = 2819) as the unit of analysis. This methodological approach is consistent with paddock-level land use decisions taken by farmers based on socioeconomic and biophysical factors such as soil financial resources, type, and topography. The methodological approach allows us to provide new insights into the determinant of adopting SPS and an understanding of intra-farm level land use decisions. The results show that the adoption of SPS at both paddocks and farm levels in Caquetá is low. The main factors associated with higher SPS adoption levels at the paddock level are framed in gender, resources, and knowledge. We observe that women are more motivated to conserve the environment. Cattle paddocks managed by women, smaller in size, and those with more SPS-related projects show a tendency for medium or high SPS adoption. Furthermore, the positive relationship between access to credit and SPS adoption emphasizes the importance of financial resources tailored to SPS projects. Enhancing gender roles, improving access to finance in land use, and providing training programs on SPS systems can contribute to low-emission livestock production in Colombia. This research paper highlights the significance of implementing diverse management strategies and reaching out to farmers not involved in SPS projects. It emphasizes investments in low-emission livestock production, especially for female heads of households. This approach recognizes the broader benefits of SPS, beyond production and financial gains, promoting the division of paddocks and the adoption of SPS.
Low-emissions livestock production can be achieved through scaling production systems integrating trees, forages, and livestock within the same area. Such systems are known as silvopastoral production systems (SPS). However, despite SPS reported benefits, adoption rates globally remain low. This paper, therefore, aims to inform land use policy oriented towards increasing SPS adoption. This study intends to capture this by assessing SPS adoption benefits, identifying determinants of SPS adoption, and thus to contribute to policy for scaling low-emissions livestock production. Data was collected on socioeconomic status, livestock farming technical and economic indicators, and farm and paddock practices through farm-level surveys in four municipalities in the Amazon Piedmont of Colombia. Unlike previous studies that assume homogeneous farm management, when in fact, it is heterogeneous, this study assessed SPS adoption determinants using the paddock (n = 2,819) as the unit of analysis. This methodological approach is consistent with paddock-level land use decisions taken by farmers based on socioeconomic and biophysical factors such as soil financial resources, type, and topography. The methodological approach allows us to provide new insights into the determinant of adopting SPS and an understanding of intra-farm level land use decisions. The results show that the adoption of SPS at both paddocks and farm levels in Caquetá is low. The main factors associated with higher SPS adoption levels at the paddock level are framed in gender, resources, and knowledge. We observe that women are more motivated to conserve the environment. Cattle paddocks managed by women, smaller in size, and those with more SPS-related projects show a tendency for medium or high SPS adoption. Furthermore, the positive relationship between access to credit and SPS adoption emphasizes the importance of financial resources tailored to SPS projects. Enhancing gender roles, improving access to finance in land use, and providing training programs on SPS systems can contribute to low-emission livestock production in Colombia. This research paper highlights the significance of implementing diverse management strategies and reaching out to farmers not involved in SPS projects. It emphasizes investments in low-emission livestock production, especially for female heads of households. This approach recognizes the broader benefits of SPS, beyond production and financial gains, promoting the division of paddocks and the adoption of SPS.
Building a Green Silk Road by integrating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is one of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) visions, but the BRI faces enormous challenge that is the conflict between economic development and ecological sustainability. Understanding the current scale and trend of the impact of human activities on the ecosystem is the preliminary work to ensure that human activities do not exceed the ecological carrying capacity under the BRI. This study evaluated the ecosystem pressure in countries along the Belt and Road (B&R) from 2000–2017 based on the supply-consumption balance relationship of ecological resources. Net primary productivity (NPP) is taken as the measure of ecological resources, and the supply level and consumption intensity of ecological resources is estimated based on remote sensing data and statistical data, respectively. Results show that thirteen countries with over-consumed ecological resources concentrated in the West Asia/Middle East. Although the intensity of the ecological resource consumption correlated with ecological resource endowments, the ecosystem pressure was determined by social development dependence on the ecological resources at the same ecological resource endowments level. Nearly 80% of countries along the B&R suffered from significantly increased (P < 0.05) ecosystem pressure during 2000–2017, since most of the countries along the B&R were developing countries, and their economic development was highly dependent on ecological resources. Some West Asia/Middle East countries successfully mitigated the ecosystem pressure by importing feed for livestock. Likewise, the Southeast Asian islands benefitted from the import of agricultural products. The results highlight that the BRI should reduce the dependence of social development demands on local ecological resources by international trade for ensuring the increasing ecosystem pressure trend within the ecological carrying capacity.
En distintas regiones del mundo, la agroforestería ha contribuido a mejorar los sistemas de producción agrícola, la soberanía alimentaria y la conservación de la biodiversidad, así como a mitigar y adaptarse a los efectos del cambio climático. El maíz, el café y la ganadería bovina, son actividades agropecuarias esenciales en los estados del sur de México. En Chiapas existen diversas experiencias agroforestales de mitigación que sobresalen por su multifuncionalidad: producen alimentos y bienes forestales y, al mismo tiempo, mantienen funciones socioambientales. Los proyectos de mitigación presentan barreras y contradicciones socioambientales para la implementación y continuidad, aunque han mostrado su importancia en la mitigación de gases efecto invernadero. El objetivo de este trabajo es discutir las contradicciones (trade-offs) que se presentan en proyectos agroforestales para mitigación de gases efecto invernadero. En los sistemas analizados se encontraron importantes cantidades de carbono en la materia orgánica del suelo, biomasa viva y muerta. Desde la perspectiva de la producción de alimentos y madera, así como de la conservación de especies y funciones ecosistémicas, los sistemas agroforestales manejados en pequeña escala son estratégicos. No obstante, se observaron limitaciones desde la perspectiva de los productores en el terreno de los beneficios económicos y necesidades de organización para el mercado, los requisitos, la capacitación, la competencia por uso del suelo y la inversión del trabajo. Las ventajas y desventajas son elementos importantes a ser tomados en cuenta en el diseño de sistemas agroforestales y programas de servicios ecosistémicos. En la medida que se entiendan estos procesos, habrá mayor posibilidad de éxito con beneficios locales y globales.
In the past few years, numerous global, national, and regional targets have been set to restore millions of hectares of tropical forest to achieve multiple goals, including carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, improvements in the quality and supply of water, and support of human livelihoods. To achieve these ambitious goals, restoration decision makers need guiding principles regarding how to invest limited resources for large-scale forest restoration. Research over the past two decades has shown that a host of abiotic and biotic factors can slow tropical forest recovery, but that the specific barriers to and rate of recovery are site specific. Hence, restoration strategies must be carefully selected considering the natural resilience of a given site, localized barriers to recovery, and the ecological and human goals of the project. Despite the substantial advances in our understanding of tropical forest regeneration and restoration, to date neither the scale of scientific studies nor the restoration projects being implemented have matched the ambitious forest landscape restoration plans that are being proposed. I discuss key ways to enhance the success of tropical forest restoration efforts, citing a range of examples to illustrate each point. Specifically, restoration projects need to be planned and evaluated at larger spatial scales and over longer time periods, which requires better integration of the science and practice of forest restoration. Ultimately, forest restoration success hinges on including multiple stakeholders, such as farmers, local communities, local government leaders, regional and national policymakers, and scientists, in the planning, implementation, and evaluation processes. Finally, efforts to improve knowledge sharing across restoration projects in different regions will enhance the likelihood of implementing successful tropical forest restoration projects at the desired scale.
Significance
The livestock sector contributes significantly to global warming through greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. At the same time, livestock is an invaluable source of nutrition and livelihood for millions of poor people. Therefore, climate mitigation policies involving livestock must be designed with extreme care. Here we demonstrate the large mitigation potential inherent in the heterogeneity of livestock production systems. We find that even within existing systems, autonomous transitions from extensive to more productive systems would decrease GHG emissions and improve food availability. Most effective climate policies involving livestock would be those targeting emissions from land-use change. To minimize the economic and social cost, policies should target emissions at their source—on the supply side—rather than on the demand side.
Significance
This report is unique in presenting a high-resolution dataset of biomass use, production, feed efficiencies, and greenhouse gas emissions by global livestock. This information will allow the global-change research community in enhancing our understanding of the sustainability of livestock systems and their role in food security, livelihoods and environmental sustainability.
Agricultural activities have dramatically altered our planet's land surface. To understand the extent and spatial distribution of these changes, we have developed a new global data set of croplands and pastures circa 2000 by combining agricultural inventory data and satellite-derived land cover data. The agricultural inventory data, with much greater spatial detail than previously available, is used to train a land cover classification data set obtained by merging two different satellite-derived products (Boston University's MODIS-derived land cover product and the GLC2000 data set). Our data are presented at 5 min (similar to 10 km) spatial resolution in longitude by longitude, have greater accuracy than previously available, and for the first time include statistical confidence intervals on the estimates. According to the data, there were 15.0 (90% confidence range of 12.2-17.1) million km 2 of cropland (12% of the Earth's ice-free land surface) and 28.0 (90% confidence range of 23.6-30.0) million km 2 of pasture (22%) in the year 2000.
Extensive cattle production currently occupies more than 27% of the rural landscapes in Latin America, and continues to expand. This activity, deeply rooted in the culture and rural economy of the region, requires an urgent transformation if it is to become both more efficient and environmentally friendly. Silvopastoral systems that incorporate native trees and shrubs are instrumental for the productive rehabilitation of cattle production and for biodiversity conservation in agricultural landscapes. We discuss research progress and adoption of intensive silvopastoral systems in Colombia and Mexico. Intensive silvopastoral systems (ISS) are a sustainable form of agroforestry for livestock production that combines fodder shrubs planted at high densities (more than 10,000 plants ha−1), trees and palms, and improved pastures. High stocking and the natural production of milk and meat in these systems are achieved through rotational grazing with electric fencing and a permanent supply of water for the cattle. While milk and meat production and cattle reproduction are enhanced, production costs decline as external inputs are replaced by natural processes related to fertility and biological control. We also discuss the importance of the ISS with native trees for climate change adaptation and mitigation, the barriers for their adoption, and how these have been successfully addressed using payment for environmental services, special credits and technical assistance. Finally, we highlight the need for enhancing landscape connectivity by integrating SPS to conservation corridors with native species to promote biodiversity conservation and other environmental services demanded by society.
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