Strategic position of integrated systems for agriculture and environment.

BUNGENSTAB, D. J.; ALMEIDA, R. G. de

Strategic position of integrated systems for agriculture and environment.

Autores

Descripción

The modern concept of product quality implies also a higher demand for environmental preservation along the production process. Latin America countries, because of their abundance of natural resources and high potential for food, energy, and fiber production, are globally important on discussions regarding agricultural production and environment. Global warming is a very important issue and forests preservation, as well as afforestation, play a major role in this context. Low yielding areas of cattle grazing many times do not explore the potential of areas where natural vegetation was already displaced for beef production. Inefficient systems represent also unnecessary greenhouse gases emissions. On the other hand, integrated silvopastoral or agrosilvopastoral systems, also known as livestock-crop-forest systems, being more efficient, do not only reduce total emissions from the systems, but also sequester carbon from the atmosphere. Even though not yet formally recognized in the international carbon credits market, these systems have a great potential and excellent appeal in the voluntary carbon market, since they synergistically put together interests from farmers, industries, government, and civil society, regarding food production and environmental services. Therefore, farmers? awareness about the strategic importance of being pioneers on adopting these systems is essential, since many indications point out a promising market for carbon sequestration and avoiding emissions from more efficient, integrated cattle systems.