A case study of The world is facing major challenges developing

triple wins in milk

sustainable livestock production systems that
can deliver against growing demands for
meat and milk production. These systems must
and beef production also demonstrate environmental stewardship
and ensure essential aspects of sustainability,
in Colombia including animal welfare and livelihoods,
are properly respected.

This case study reveals one such solution: Intensive silvopastoral systems have the potential to deliver much more
silvopastoral beef and dairy production. feed from the land, through the planting of protein and mineral rich
grasses and shrubs such as Leucaena (legume bushes). By growing
In Colombia, cattle ranching has traditionally relied on extensive plants, shrubs and trees, a three-dimensional feed source is created.
systems, with few animals per hectare raised on grass. While it has
a range of benefits, this type of cattle ranching provides limited The quality and quantity of the feed source delivered in situ
feed quality. It also often suffers from challenges during seasonal is greater. The additional plant matter, plus root density, and
extremes of temperature and drought, due to limited shade, poor biodegradable material can increase soil quality and water
soil quality and access to water. retention, as well as increasing carbon retention in the soil.
By using animal breeds well adapted to tropical environments, Delivering productivity gains through
the intensive silvopastoral system has the potential to achieve high silvopastoral farming: a stepwise process
levels of production from local feed sources in pasture-based The analysis of the production system, productivity and economics,
environments. This maintains good health, natural behaviour and used the tools, methods and expertise of the global, non-profit
ease of animal management. agri benchmark Beef and Sheep Network.

This project aimed to bring together measures of productivity, For each of the farms, we first defined a reference situation (baseline)
economics (and the potential for livestock-based livelihoods), representing the status of the farm before introduction of intensive
environmental stewardship and animal welfare in one integrated silvopastoral systems. Then, assisted by advisors and producers,
assessment. It aimed to test the potential of a system, and its the detailed, realistic pathway of introducing intensive silvopastoral
development over time to achieve sustainable livestock production. systems and their implications on productivity, management and
economics was assessed and modelled for 10 years. The introduction
The assessment was delivered as a partnership project. of the system is typically done step by step over 5-10 years.
Partners included Colombian Cattle Ranching Association
(FEDEGAN-FNG); the Centre for Research on Sustainable Establishing silvopastoral systems involves investment in fence
Agricultural Production Systems (CIPAV); global assessment installation water lines and troughs, the seeding of grass (Guinea,
network agri benchmark of the Thünen Institute of Farm star grass), Leucaena and, in the case of La Luisa, Eucalypt trees.
Economics and World Animal Protection. Table 1 shows the investment and maintenance costs per ha for
each of the farms.
The farms assessed are pioneers in establishing intensive
silvopastoral systems, delivered with the technical and scientific
support of CIPAV. This has proved crucial for the development More feed and more animals, profitability improved
and dissemination of the systems. The main impacts of intensive silvopastoral systems on productivity are:

The knowledge developed in these farms is used by the project h igher feed quantity and better quality (digestibility, nutrient contents)
Colombia Mainstreaming Biodiversity into Sustainable Cattle
Ranching led by FEDEGAN-FNG in partnership with CIPAV higher
 milk yields in cows, higher daily weight gains in finishing
research institute, The Nature Conservancy and Fondo Acción. cattle, allowing the reduction of finishing periods and increasing
The project is administered by the World Bank with funding from the cattle numbers
the Global Environment Facility and the United Kingdom’s
Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). h igher stocking rates and higher land productivity.

The results of this case study showed that:

Intensive silvopastoral systems are more productive and Intensive silvopastoral systems deliver productivity that goes
profitable than cattle ranching systems. Their success is hand in hand with animal welfare.
based on good management, extension and access to
capital that builds farmers’ long-term capacity to Intensive silvopastoral systems provide a clear investment in
deliver efficient and increasingly productive beef and sustainable environmental management, with potential
dairy production. climate mitigation benefits.

2
The case
study farms
La Luisa is a beef finishing
farm in the Cesar valley
with four groups of beef
animals and a total of
500 cattle on the farm.

Petequí is a dairy farm

in the Cauca valley with
around 70 cross-bred
dairy animals.

El Hatico is a dairy farm in

the Cauca valley, rearing
Lucerna breed animals.
The herd is divided into
five groups ranging from
pre-parturition cows,
high, medium and low
lactation cows.
 Table 1 Figure 1
Intensive Silvopastoral System: Investment and maintenance costs per ha Feed Production and Land Productivity
La Luisa Petequi Hatico 30 7,000
Feed Production (tons of dry matter per hectare)
Water and fences 648 648 492 Land Productivity (kg meat and meat per hectare)
Seeding and 1,713 2,343 2,385 25 6,000
planting *
Tons of dry matter per hectare

5,000

Kg meat or milk per hectare

Advisory 108 108 108 20

service 4,000
Maintenance 224 89 93 15
Total 2,692 3,187 3,079 3,000
10
* incl. soil preparation, fertilisation, plant protection, irrigation (Petequí/Hatico) 2,000

5
1,000

0 0
Figure 1 illustrates the significant increases in feed production and
SPS year 9

SPS year 9

SPS year 9
Baseline

Baseline

Baseline
land productivity. It should be noted that the baseline of the farms
used different levels of management. La Luisa used the least input
and least productivity whereas the two others already had La Luisa Petequí El Hatico
achieved a significantly higher productivity level.

Figure 2 shows the impact of the silvopastoral system on the Figure 2

returns and costs on whole farm level. It shows that a) the Profitability of Silvopastoral Systems
farms can significantly improve their profitability, b) that the first
year(s) of establishment are characterised by investment and 700
Whole farm costs Whole farm returns
a reduced profitability. 600

500
Thousands of dollars (USD)

Targeting investment to succeed 400

Profit
The results clearly show the benefits on productivity and profitability.
300
Given this, why is the system not more widespread?
200
Reasons are mainly: a) the investment needs and the associated cash
100
flow / profit challenges in the first years; b) the absence of access
to affordable capital, especially for smaller producers, and c) lack 0

of knowledge about the benefits of the system, its establishment and

SPS year 1

SPS year 9

SPS year 1

SPS year 9

SPS year 1

SPS year 9
Baseline

Baseline

Baseline

management. These issues can be tackled in the next project phase

with a broader data base and a detailed analysis of implementation
pathways and associated capital needs and risks involved. It is clear La Luisa Petequí El Hatico
however, that with sufficient early investment the system can become
highly productive and profitable in a relatively short timespan.

4
2. Integrating animal welfare in sustainable O
 n all three farms, animals had access to good quality, green
livestock production forage for all of the day – consisting of grass and Leucaena
Animal welfare is defined as the state of an animal in its attempt to which provides most of their nutritional needs.
cope with its environment (OIE, 2004). It can be measured both in
terms of the farm’s potential to deliver good welfare through resources A
 nimals on silvopastoral farms showed little heat stress.
provided - such as feed quality, veterinary care, access to exercise
or resources to enable important behaviours and reduce stress W
 ater was available freely within the paddock and was clean
–and the measurement of the welfare outcomes for the animal. and fresh.

International consensus agreed among scientists, industry, and T he animal breeds were suited to the local environment.
intergovernmental agencies including the World Organisation for
Animal Health (OIE), maintains that animal welfare includes both A
 nimals had freedom of movement and could exhibit natural
the animal’s health and behavioural / psychological welfare. Modern behaviour. This included grazing, walking, lying down, ruminating,
approaches to animal welfare focus on what the animal needs to and showing positive interactions with other animals.
have good welfare. This includes good feeding, good health, good
housing, appropriate behaviour (see welfarequality.net). A
 nimals had the opportunity to choose their natural environment
and were not subject to overcrowding or behavioural restriction.
World Animal Protection, agri benchmark and CIPAV scientists,
working with Professor Donald Broom of Cambridge University, A
 nimals were bright, alert and responsive.
assessed cattle welfare on each of the three farms. This was alongside
one comparable farm using standard cattle ranching systems. A
 nimals were calm and showed no fearful response.
The assessment took direct measures of feed and water availability, Body condition was good, ranging from 3-4 on a five point scale
behaviour, heat stress, body condition and evidence of parasites. (average 3.5).

Intensive silvopastoral systems have high potential for good A

 nimals were healthy and not lame.
animal health and welfare. The environmental design of the
system provides good quality green forage to meet animals’ The health and welfare of the animals in the three silvopastoral
nutritional needs. Water is provided freely and trees and shrubs farms was higher than in the comparable cattle ranch. The animal-
provide shade which is important for cow comfort and to prevent based measures provided evidence for good health and welfare
heat stress. Animals also have freedom of movement and can in silvopastoral system. Animals were healthy and had good body
exhibit natural behaviours. condition, despite very high temperatures and dry conditions during
the time of the assessment (34°c–41°c). Body condition was better
on the silvopastoral farms compared to the control farm (3.5 vs.
2.5), reflecting the control farm animals’ thinner, poorer condition.
The cattle on the control farm were less calm and showed some
fearful response to humans.

Cattle on the control farm showed a range of natural behaviour,

but had less opportunity to change their environment.

5
Silvopastoral systems, disease and welfare
– an overview
Professor Donald M. Broom, 2014

The role of health is important as a key part of welfare and The consequences of poor welfare reduce resistance to disease.
for its economic consequences. Diseased animals very often have Poor welfare resulting from a wide variety of different causes may
difficulty in coping with their environment, or fail to do so, hence make disease more likely, often by initiating immunosuppression.
their welfare is poorer than that of a healthy animal in otherwise This can be a consequence of an environment that is difficult,
comparable conditions. While this case study did not look in detail perhaps because the individual has little control over it, and this
at animal disease, there is a body of scientific evidence showing has further pathological consequences.
the effect of intensive silvopastoral systems on animal disease.
On the other hand, good welfare can help to protect individuals
Intensive silvopastoral systems alter the livestock environment in against disease. Positive behavioural and mental responses
ways that affect disease, and hence welfare. In tropical and can increase the likelihood that the individual will succeed
sub-tropical environments, some important disease-causing agents in coping.
are carried to livestock by ticks. Others are carried by insects,
such as the head-fly Hydrotaea. Livestock in silvopastoral systems have better control of their
immediate environment, more normal social interactions and
In some areas, the most important causes of poor welfare are hence have better welfare and more resistance to some
diseases caused by ticks or insects. Intensive silvopastoral systems diseases than animals in pasture-only systems.
have increased numbers of birds, lizards, large insects and other
predators which consume ticks and harmful insects. This is a second reason for lower levels of disease reported in
silvopastoral systems. The data supporting this come largely from
The more complex soil fauna in intensive silvopastoral systems tropical and sub-tropical countries, but all of the benefits, except
may also encourage animals that reduce numbers of harmful that of predation on ticks, would also be likely to be important
insects. Livestock disease transmitted by ticks and insects has in temperate countries.
been demonstrated to be less in silvopastoral systems.

6
3. Resilient and sustainable environment to lower methane emissions (per kg of milk and/ or beef produced)
Intensive silvopastoral systems provide enhanced habitat and as the fodder quality has improved.
food resources for birds, mammals, and invertebrates due to the
structural and biological complexity with several species of grass, The intensive silvopastoral system also could play an important role
shrubs and trees. Deep-rooted trees contribute to recover nutrients in erosion control. It could protect the soil from direct effects of sun,
and water from deeper soil layers increasing tolerance to drought wind and water by reducing rain impact, increasing infiltration and
and biomass production and carbon sequestration both below the stability of the organic matter. Silvopastoral systems can also
and above ground. give soil higher infiltration rates, improving its ability to retain water,
reduce runoff, and contributes to the regulation of water cycle.
Silvopastoral systems in the southwest of Colombia have five
times as many bird species as pasture monocultures in the same
region. Ant richness was 62% higher in intensive silvopastoral
systems (Rivera et al., 2014). Dung beetle abundance and
diversity were more than two times higher in relation to pasture Intensive silvopastoral systems – delivering
monocultures (Giraldo et al., 2010). This increased diversity plays a triple win for economics, environment and
an important role in biological control of plant pests and cattle animal welfare
parasites. In El Hatico, bird and spider richness is higher in the The case studies provided evidence for the ability of intensive
intensive silvopastoral system than in surrounding land uses of silvopastoral systems to create ‘triple-win’ solutions for
the farm. sustainable livestock production: productivity and profitability
gains; environmental improvements and animal welfare benefits.
These farming systems also help in soil conservation and recovery. The uptake of silvopastoral systems has been limited by the level
As observed in the case study at La Luisa, these systems can help in of investments needed, limited access to capital for smallholders
restoring degraded soils by reducing erosion, increasing soil fertility and perceived investment risk.
and resilience to drought.
As intensive silvopastoral systems are management-intensive,
Having fodder trees associated with pastures increases the capacity building via extension and advisory services is a
content of organic matter and soil nutrients such as phosphorus. key component of successful delivery. Targeted investment
The presence of nitrogen-fixing legumes and other tree species and early in establishment of the silvopastoral system, and an
the continous rotation of cattle also improves production and nutrient effective capacity building programme, tailoring knowledge
cycling and eliminates the need of chemical nitrogen fertilizers. development to individual farmers needs can provide increased
The presence of trees could also lead to an increased soil humidity potential for success.
through reduced evaporation under the canopy, which increases
grass growth and resilience to drought. The benefits for productivity and profitability from such
investment are clear and this is an area where international
These systems produce more dry matter, digestible energy and and local policy mechanisms, donors and governments can
crude protein per hectare. They also increase milk and meat play a crucial role.
production as observed in the case studies conducted. This leads

7
References and useful links
Broom, D.M., Galindo, F.A., Murgueitio, E. 2013. Sustainable, efficient livestock production
with high biodiversity and good welfare for animals. Proc. R. Soc. B. 280:
Calle Z., Murgueitio E., Chará J. 2012. Integrating forestry, sustainable cattle-ranching
and landscape restoration. Unasylva 63: 31-40.
Deblitz, Claus [Ed.] (2013) Beef and sheep report 2013 : understanding agriculture worldwide.
Braunschweig: Thünen Institute, 150 p.
Deblitz, Claus (2010). AARES 54th Annual Conference 2010 : agri benchmark.
Braunschweig: agri benchmark ; vTI, 20 Seiten, englisch
Giraldo C., Escobar F., Chará J., Calle Z. 2011. The adoption of silvopastoral systems
promotes the recovery of ecological processes regulated by dung beetles in the Colombian
Andes. Insect Conservation and Diversity: 4:115-122.
Murgueitio, E., Calle, Z., Uribe, F., Calle, A., Solorio, B. 2011. Native trees and shrubs for the
productive rehabilitation of tropical cattle ranching lands. Forest Ecology and Management
261: 1654–1663.
Rivera L., Armbrecht, I., Calle, Z. 2013. Silvopastoral systems and ant diversity conservation in a
cattle dominated landscape of the Colombian andes. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment
181: 188-194.
World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE): Guiding Principles on Animal Welfare.
http://www.oie.int/en/animal-welfare/animal-welfare-key-themes/

Project partners of the silvopastoral project

FEDEGAN-FNG
The Colombian Cattle Ranching Association – National Cattle Fund is a non profit
trade association founded in 1963 that brings together regional and local cattle
associations and other entities involved in cattle ranching activities

CIPAV

The Centre for Research on Sustainable Agricultural Production Systems, CIPAV is a

not-for-profit research NGO based in Colombia with 28 years experience in research,
teaching and dissemination of sustainable agricultural solutions for tropical and
subtropical areas.

agri benchmark Beef and Sheep Network/ Thünen

agri benchmark Beef and Sheep is a project of the Thünen Institute in Germany.
This global, non-profit and independent project, analyses production systems,
their economics, drivers and perspectives around the globe.

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