Agroecological Transition for Sustainable Cattle Ranching with Silvopastoral Systems in the High Andean Slopes of Colombia

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Silvopastoral systems of Meso America and Northern South America

Abstract

Dairy cattle ranching in the high Andean zone is a socioeconomic important activity, relatively efficient compared to other cattle raising systems in Colombia’s lowland tropics. However, it relies heavily on imported inputs (fertilizers, concentrated feed, pesticides, etc.) and is highly vulnerable to economic and environmental changes because of the ecosystem conditions in a region that is also recognized for its biodiversity richness and its ecosystem services. Silvopastoral systems are a sustainable production alternative for agroecological intensification of dairy livestock farming. To implement these systems, conventional dairy farmers need to make profound changes and a gradual transition of the production process. An integrated approach is proposed combining land use planning -considering land capability- and the introduction of mixed pastures, trees, and shrubs in the production system, together with the management of local resources and forest conservation. This chapter presents a case study of a dairy cattle ranch transformation in a high Andean hillside area in Colombia, that made land use changes based on conservation criteria in rural landscapes and the application of agroecological principles in its production practices. The most outstanding achievements were the maintenance of the economic viability of the production system in a period of financial crisis for the country’s dairy industry, thanks to a greater efficiency in the use of non-renewable energy and nitrogen (external inputs). At the same time, the system preserved and restored forest areas and increased connectivity between forest fragments. Agroecological production also enhanced biodiversity conservation and the provision of ecosystem services such as water regulation and plant and soil carbon storage.

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Acknowledgments

*This work is part of the Ph.D. thesis in Environmental and Rural Studies of the first author, entitled “Sustainability of cattle ranching in the high Andean zone”. Faculty of Environmental and Rural Studies of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Bogotá, Colombia). Co-financed by MINCIENCIAS - COLFUTURO External Fellowships Management 067.

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Correspondence to Claudia Durana .

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Durana, C., Murgueitio, E., Lopera-Marín, J.J. (2023). Agroecological Transition for Sustainable Cattle Ranching with Silvopastoral Systems in the High Andean Slopes of Colombia. In: Chará, J., Jose, S. (eds) Silvopastoral systems of Meso America and Northern South America. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43063-3_11

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