Silvopastoral systems with wild sunflower shrubs (Tithonia diversifolia) as alternative for competitive and sustainable milk production in high tropic: experience in Colombia

摘要

Most livestock production systems in Colombia are developed in the traditional way of felling and burning of forests, which has resulted in low tree cover, unprotected soils and biodiversity losses. In turn, susceptibility to erosion and high dependence on chemical inputs increases both production costs and environmental impacts. Hence, the need to generate new forms of production, in which livestock production is based on natural resources and allows farmers to be more efficient and competitive on local, national and international markets. Our objective is to compare forage availability, milk yield and composition, and milk production cost in a non-fertilised silvopastoral system and in a traditional fertilized monoculture of kikuyo grass.