Code:
ATN/RF-16338-RG-T3115-P001
Initiative:
Seed fund
FONTAGRO Amount:
USD 30.000
Counterpart Amount:
USD 0
Other agencies
USD 0
Total Amount:
USD 30.000
Participating countries:
Uruguay Uruguay Argentina Argentina Brazil Brazil Chile Chile Dominican Republic Dominican Republic Ecuador Ecuador Nicaragua Nicaragua Paraguay Paraguay
Funding source:
FONTAGRO Amount 100% Other agencies 0% Counterpart Amount 0%

Executive Summary

Countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay are large producers and exporters of meat, primarily relying on direct grazing of natural fields and planted pastures with a total of almost 300 million head of cattle. The majority of land dedicated to this low-productivity pastoral livestock is found in marginal areas for agriculture, characterized by severe limitations in fertility and/or acidity/alkalinity and/or waterlogging. There is a need to improve the productive capacity of the forage resources in these regions. Conversely, in countries such as Ecuador, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, livestock plays a vital role in the sustainability of agricultural systems.

GHG emission inventories show that pastoral farming is a main source of these emissions in the aforementioned countries but few have their own emission factors (GHG emitted per kilo of forage consumed). Therefore, they use the default emission factors established by the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) that do not necessarily reflect local conditions, nor do they allow identification of possible mitigation opportunities for intensive systems.

An option for sustainable intensification of these animal production grazing systems is the incorporation of forage legumes. Both the promotion of legume species in natural communities and the implementation of improved legumes bring several benefits.

The Regional Workshop "Use of legumes in livestock systems" was held at the Experimental Station La Estanzuela (Colonia) of the National Institute of Agricultural Research of Uruguay (INIA) from October 2nd to 4th, 2017. The workshop constituted an instance of dialogue and training for specialists from PROCISUR member countries, Ecuador, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, on the issue of sustainable intensification of livestock grazing systems.

The technological solution

Use of legumes in livestock systems.

Results

The document with the state of the art and the proposal of a consensual project.

Beneficiaries

Researchers from participating research institutes.

Main donors

Participating Organizations

Executor
  • Programa Cooperativo para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Agroalimentario y Agroindustrial del Cono Sur (PROCISUR) - Uruguay
Associated
  • Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria (INIA) - Uruguay
  • Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA) - Argentina
  • Empresa Brasileña de Investigación Agropecuaria (EMBRAPA) - Brasil
  • Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIA) - Chile
  • Instituto Paraguayo de Tecnología Agraria (IPTA) - Paraguay
  • Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIAP) - Ecuador
  • Instituto Nicaragüense de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA) - Nicaragua
  • Instituto Dominicano de Investigaciones Agropecuarias y Forestales (IDIAF) - República Dominicana

Graphics and data

Financing by country (in USD)
FONTAGRO Amount Other agencies Counterpart Amount

Geolocated Map

Sponsors
BID
IICA
With the support of
Fondo Coreano de Alianza para el Conocimiento en Tecnología e Innovación (KPK)