Results from on-the-ground efforts to promote sustainable cattle ranching in the Brazilian Amazon

Ermgassen, Erasmus zu; Alcântara, Melquesedek Pereira de; Balmford, Andrew; Barioni, L. G.; Neto, Francisco Beduschi; Bettarello, Murilo M F; Brito, Genivaldo de; Carrero, Gabriel C; Florence, Eduardo de A.S.; Garcia, Édenise; Gonçalves, Eduardo Trevisan; Luz, Casio Trajano da; Mallmann, Giovanni Mateus; Strassburg, Bernardo B. N.; Valentim, J. F.; Latawiec, Agnieszka E.

doi:10.31220/osf.io/axyjk

Cited by 7 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…In Brazil, the largest producer of pastured beef worldwide, animal output per hectare of pasture increased 3.5‐fold between 1985 and 2006, resulting in significant land‐saving (Martha, Alves, & Contini, ). Another analysis of six intensification initiatives in the Brazilian Amazon showed productivity gains of 30%–490% while complying with Brazilian Forest Code (zu Ermgassen et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of yield gaps on global grazed‐only permanent pasture using climate binning

Monteiro

Allee

Campbell

et al. 2020

Global Change Biology

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To meet rising demands for agricultural products, existing agricultural lands must either produce more or expand in area. Yield gaps (YGs)—the difference between current and potential yield of agricultural systems—indicate the ability to increase output while holding land area constant. Here, we assess YGs in global grazed‐only permanent pasture lands using a climate binning approach. We create a snapshot of circa 2000 empirical yields for meat and milk production from cattle, sheep, and goats by sorting pastures into climate bins defined by total annual precipitation and growing degree‐days. We then estimate YGs from intra‐bin yield comparisons. We evaluate YG patterns across three FAO definitions of grazed livestock agroecosystems (arid, humid, and temperate), and groups of animal production systems that vary in animal types and animal products. For all subcategories of grazed‐only permanent pasture assessed, we find potential to increase productivity several‐fold over current levels. However, because productivity of grazed pasture systems is generally low, even large relative increases in yield translated to small absolute gains in global protein production. In our dataset, milk‐focused production systems were found to be seven times as productive as meat‐focused production systems regardless of animal type, while cattle were four times as productive as sheep and goats regardless of animal output type. Sustainable intensification of pasture is most promising for local development, where large relative increases in production can substantially increase incomes or “spare” large amounts of land for other uses. Our results motivate the need for further studies to target agroecological and economic limitations on productivity to improve YG estimates and identify sustainable pathways toward intensification.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of yield gaps on global grazed‐only permanent pasture using climate binning

Monteiro

Allee

Campbell

et al. 2020

Global Change Biology

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“…15 PL municipalities signed agreements with national and international donors (including the European Commission, the Fundo Vale, and the Amazon fund), as well as nongovernmental organizations (NGOs; including The Nature Conservancy, Instituto Centro da Vida, and Imazon ;Sassaki 2014;MMA 2015;Sills et al 2015b). While in some cases these agreements included commitments to foster sustainable agricultural practices, in practice these efforts were smallscale (Piketty et al 2015;zu Ermgassen et al 2018), and municipalities had a far stronger emphasis on measures directly related to the conditions for being removed from the PLreducing deforestation and supporting the municipalities in regularizing land use (Thaler 2017).…”

Section: What Drove the Observed Changes In Cattle Productivity?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Agricultural Productivity and Forest Conservation: Evidence from the Brazilian Amazon

Koch

Ermgassen

Wehkamp

et al. 2019

American J Agri Economics

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A mix of public policy and market interventions in the mid‐2000s led to historic reductions in deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. The collateral impact of these forest conservation policies on agricultural production is still poorly understood, though evidence is sorely needed given the economic importance of agriculture in Brazil and many other forest‐rich countries. We construct a ten‐year panel dataset for agriculture and deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon (2004–2014), and use two complementary difference‐in‐difference strategies to estimate the causal effect of one of Brazil's flagship anti‐deforestation strategies, the Priority List (Municípios Prioritários), on agricultural production and productivity in three sectors: beef, dairy, and crop production. We find no evidence for trade‐offs between agriculture and forest conservation. Rather, reductions in deforestation in priority municipalities were paired with increases in cattle production and productivity (cattle/hectare), consistent with a model where policy‐induced decreases in the value of clearing new land cause credit‐constrained farmers to shift investments from deforestation to capital investments in farming. The policy had no consistent effect on dairy or crop production. Our results suggest that in regions with large yield gaps and where technologies for increasing yields are readily available, efforts to constrain agricultural expansion through improved forest conservation policies may induce intensification.

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“…They are responsible for a large share of the world's food production, including milk production, given that the majority of cows are belonging to small-scale family farms (Lowder et al ., 2016; FAO, 2010; EFSA, 2015; Fanzo, 2017). These farms produce milk for their own need, but also for the local market (EFSA, 2015; Ermgassen et al ., 2018).…”

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confidence: 99%

Management practices that influence the welfare of calves on small family farms

Relic

Starič

Ježek

2020

Journal of Dairy Research

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In this Research Reflection we review management practices in small family farms with less than 100 cows. Small farms represent the majority of farms in the EU and the world, and they are of great importance for the economy of a country. On cattle farms, the welfare of calves is of primary importance for the profitability of the herd, and poor management is one of the main factors influencing calf health and survival. Data on the risk factors for calf welfare issues in small-scale farms are limited. For this purpose, the literature data from six world countries were presented and compared, including Serbia and Slovenia where a survey related to the issue was carried out within the COST Action FA1308, DairyCare. Some practices within the following areas in calf management were considered: calving management, care for new-born calves, use of painful procedures, colostrum management, cow–calf separation, calf feeding, weaning, calf housing, and general monitoring. In each of the countries, the health and welfare of calves are threatened by some omissions in rearing practices and the major are related to the new-born calf management, the feeding and watering management, and the application of hygienic measures. Many farmers are well aware of the importance of proper calf rearing; others would need more incentive to improve calf management. Each country should pay attention to the education of farmers about the most common deficiencies in calf management.

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Results from on-the-ground efforts to promote sustainable cattle ranching in the Brazilian Amazon

Cited by 7 publications

References 16 publications

Assessment of yield gaps on global grazed‐only permanent pasture using climate binning

Assessment of yield gaps on global grazed‐only permanent pasture using climate binning

Agricultural Productivity and Forest Conservation: Evidence from the Brazilian Amazon

Management practices that influence the welfare of calves on small family farms

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