LivestockPlus - The sustainable intensification of forage-based agricultural systems to improve livelihoods and ecosystem services in the tropics

Idupulapati M Rao ,N Vivas,Margaret Worthington ,Myles J Fisher ,Mario Herrero ,Devin White ,G V Subbarao ,Jeimar Tapasco ,E Guimaraes ,Jacobo Arango ,Juan Andrés Cardoso ,Ngonidzashe Chirinda ,Álvaro Rincón ,Glenn Hyman ,Rainer Schultze‐Kraft ,Simon Cook ,Keith Fahrney ,An Maria Omer Notenbaert ,Birthe K Paul ,Sabine Douxchamps ,Tassilo T Tiemann ,Timothy D Searchinger ,Carlos E Lascano ,Mario Peña Chacón ,Aracely Castro ,R D B Lefroy ,Cristóbal Villanueva ,Todd Rosenstock ,D J Bungenstab ,Michael Peters ,Rein Van Der Hoek ,Miguel Angel Ayarza ,Brigitte L Maass ,Adrian M Bolliger ,Andreas Jenet ,Michael Blümmel ,Axel Schmidt ,Joe Tohmé ,John W Miles ,Mario Cuchillo-Hilario ,Thomas K Rudel

doi:10.17138/tgft(3)59-82

Abstract

As global demand for livestock products (such as meat, milk and eggs) is expected to double by 2050, necessary increases to future production must be reconciled with negative environmental impacts that livestock cause. This paper describes the LivestockPlus concept and demonstrates how the sowing of improved forages can lead to the sustainable intensification of mixed crop-forage-livestock-tree systems in the tropics by producing multiple social, economic and environmental benefits. Sustainable intensification not only improves the productivity of tropical forage-based systems but also reduces the ecological footprint of livestock production and generates a diversity of ecosystem services (ES) such as improved soil quality and reduced erosion, sedimentation and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Integrating improved grass and legume forages into mixed production systems (crop-livestock, tree-livestock, crop-tree-livestock) can restore degraded lands and enhance system resilience to drought and waterlogging associated with climate change. When properly managed tropical forages accumulate large amounts of carbon in soil, fix atmospheric nitrogen (legumes), inhibit nitrification in soil and reduce nitrous oxide emissions (grasses), and reduce GHG emissions per unit livestock product.The LivestockPlus concept is defined as the sustainable intensification of forage-based systems, which is based on 3 interrelated intensification processes: genetic intensification - the development and use of superior grass and legume cultivars for increased livestock productivity; ecological intensification - the development and application of improved farm and natural resource management practices; and socio-economic intensification - the improvement of local and national institutions and policies, which enable refinements of technologies and support their enduring use. Increases in livestock productivity will require coordinated efforts to develop supportive government, non-government organization and private sector policies that foster investments and fair market compensation for both the products and ES provided. Effective research-for-development efforts that promote agricultural and environmental benefits of forage-based systems can contribute towards implemention of LivestockPlus across a variety of geographic, political and socio-economic contexts.Keywords: Eco-efficiency, environmental benefits, livestock and environment, mixed farming, pastures, smallholders.DOI: 10.17138/TGFT(3)59-82

Highlights

The need to increase livestock productionThe world population is expected to be 9.6 billion by 2050 (UNDESA 2012)
The aim is to produce additional meat and milk based on 4 principles: 1) Selected sown grasses and legumes are more productive per unit land area than native or naturalized forages, and produce higher quality feed and may contribute to releasing land for alternative uses; 2) Sown grasses and legumes in combination with crop residues improve resource-use efficiency at farm level and produce more milk and meat, during the dry season; 3) Sown grasses and legumes, especially when integrated with crops and trees, enhance system productivity and resilience and improve livelihoods
LivestockPlus abides by the premises of sustainable intensification proposed by Garnett et al (2013) of increasing food production through higher yields, while emphasizing food security and environmental sustainability

Summary

Introduction

The world population is expected to be 9.6 billion by 2050 (UNDESA 2012). 70% more food will be required in 2050 than in 2000 (Bruinsma 2009). The aim is to produce additional meat and milk based on 4 principles: 1) Selected sown grasses and legumes are more productive per unit land area than native or naturalized forages, and produce higher quality feed and may contribute to releasing land for alternative uses; 2) Sown grasses and legumes in combination with crop residues improve resource-use efficiency at farm level and produce more milk and meat, during the dry season; 3) Sown grasses and legumes, especially when integrated with crops and trees, enhance system productivity and resilience and improve livelihoods They generate ES, thereby reducing the environmental footprint per unit livestock product; and. Brachiaria humidicola has high BNI activity, and a few germplasm accessions of B. humidicola are more suitable for temporarily waterlogged environments than the commercial cultivars (Cardoso et al 2013)

Limitations

Findings

Conclusions and future perspectives