Sustainable livestock farming in the Amazon of Peru and Ecuador

Cattle ranching in Peru and Ecuador is an essential activity for the sustainability of family farmers and generates economic, social, and nutritional benefits. In the Amazon region of both countries, both cattle ranching and agriculture have been expanding, generating economic and social benefits, but also posing problems related to land use and the generation of waste and residues from agroindustries. However, dual-purpose livestock farming has great potential, especially due to the unmet demand for milk and dairy products in both countries. These systems primarily rely on the use of crossbred cattle between zebu and European breeds and a diet based mainly on grasses, with low or nearly absent supplementary feeding. The productivity of these systems is relatively low. The high consumption of fibrous foods also results in greater greenhouse gas emissions per unit of product. However, productivity can be improved with appropriate supplementary feeding based on the use of agroindustrial waste from local production.

The project aims to sustainably intensify dual-purpose livestock farming in the Amazon of Peru and Ecuador through supplementation with feed obtained from agroindustrial waste. The project will be executed by a cooperation platform involving the National Agrarian University La Molina (UNALM) of Peru, the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIAP) of Ecuador, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), and AgResearch Limited of New Zealand. The project is funded by the Government of New Zealand as part of its contribution to the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA).