Agroforestry as a strategy for restructuring livestock production in Latin America

摘要

DuringthelastyearsasignificantportionofLatinAmericanforestshasbeenconvertedintoextensivecattleranching.Pasturescover46%ofthelandareainCentralAmerica(18.4millionhectares),makingthisthemostimportantlandusecategory.Between1960and1995,naturalforestsandotherlanduseclassesinColombiadecreasedfrom94.6to72.4millionhectares,whilelivestockranchingincreasedfrom16.6to35.5millionhectares.Both,theareacoveredbypasturesandruminantproductionhaveincreasedinLatinAmericaoverthelastyears,butlivestockranchingispracticedoninadequatelandstherebypromotingenvironmentaldegradation.ThiswasthecaseintheAmazonregion,where35%ofthepastureswereabandonedfollowingsoil-productivitylossandeconomiccollapse.nbsp;Thesocialandenvironmentalre-conversionoflivestockproductionisthereforearegionalpriority.Theintensificationofthisactivitycouldsignificantlyincreaseitssocial,economic,andalimentarycontributions.Livestockagroforestryisasubstantialpartofthistransition.Thisarticledescribes9typesofagroforestrysystemsrelatedtoanimalproductionandpresentinLatinAmerica:1.Silvopastoralsystemswithmanagedsuccession,2.Livestockgrazinginforestplantations,3.Livefences,4.Treesinpastures,5.Alleycropping,6.Windshields,7.Hightree-densitysilvopastoralsystems,8.Cut-and-carrysystems(proteinbanks,eitherpureormulti-stratapolicultures)and9.Energybanks.nbsp;