Abstract
In many parts of the foothills of the Orinoquía region of Colombia, cattle production takes place on poorly drained soils. The region is dominated by extensive grazing systems of Brachiaira humidicola cv. Humidicola, a grass with high adaptation potential under temporal waterlogging conditions. Inadequate management practices and low soil fertility result in degradation, however, with important negative effects on pasture productivity and the quality and provision of (soil) ecosystem services–a situation that is likely to worsen in the near future due to climate change. Against this background, AGROSAVIA (Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria) selected Arachis pintoi CIAT 22160 cv. Centauro (Centauro) as a promising alternative for the sustainable intensification of livestock production and rehabilitation of degraded areas. This study assesses dual-purpose milk production in the foothills of the Colombian Orinoquía from an economic perspective. We compare two production systems: the Centauro–Brachiaira humidicola cv. Humidicola association (new system) and Brachiaira humidicola cv. Humidicola as a monoculture (traditional system). We used cashflow and risk assessment models to estimate economic indicators. The projections for economic returns consider changes in forage characteristics under regional climate change scenarios RCP (2.6, 8.5). The LIFE-SIM model was used to simulate dairy production. Results show that the inclusion of Centauro has the potential to increase animal productivity and profitability under different market scenarios. The impact of climatic variables on forage production is considerable in both climate change scenarios. Both total area and potential distribution of Centauro could change, and biomass production could decline. Brachiaira humidicola cv. Humidicola showed better persistence due to higher nitrogen levels in soil when grown in association with Centauro. The legume also provides a number of ecosystem services, such as improving soil structure and composition, and also contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This helps to improve the adaptation and mitigation capacity of the system.
Highlights
Context of Improved Forages in the OrinoquíaIn many parts of the foothills of the Orinoquía region of Colombia, cattle production takes place on poorly drained soils
The objective of our study is to evaluate the economic viability of milk production in a dual-purpose cattle system in the foothills region of the Colombian Orinoquía under a grass-legume association with Brachiaria humidicola cv
The results indicate that the investment in the establishment of the grass-legume association is profitable, with an average Net Present Value (NPV) of US$ 121 and an Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 12.2%
Summary
Context of Improved Forages in the OrinoquíaIn many parts of the foothills of the Orinoquía region of Colombia, cattle production takes place on poorly drained soils. Humidicola is the most common feed option to be found It was introduced in the 1970s in order to improve the production of the region, due to its high adaptation potential under temporal waterlogging conditions and good forage production (ICA, 1987). As a result of inappropriate management practices and low soil fertility in the region, most of these pastures are, today, in some state of degradation (Rincón et al, 2018). The cattle sector is considered one of the key sectors for interventions with great potential for climate change mitigation In this sense, achieving intensive livestock farming in a sustainable way has become one of the main approaches for sector development in the Orinoquía
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