From adoption to scale: Environmental and economic results of Heifer’s Sustainable Livestock Interventions in Olancho, Honduras

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Bioversity International and International Center for Tropical Agriculture

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This report synthesizes the environmental and economic implications of sustainable livestock interventions promoted by Heifer in Olancho, Honduras. Using a farm typology and landscape-based approach, the analysis evaluates how interventions affect productivity, resource use, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, carbon sequestration, and the cost–benefit ratio of livestock production. Results indicate Heifer-supported practices have already delivered meaningful gains—approximately 25% higher productivity along with substantial improvements in land, water, and emissions efficiency per kilogram of product. Scaling adoption could push results much further, potentially adding around 30% more productivity and large additional efficiency gains. However, long-term sustainability will require pairing intensification with explicit soil fertility and nitrogen replenishment strategies, such as legumes, improved manure returns, targeted or organic fertilization, and soil testing.

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evaluation, livestock production, scaling up, environmental factors, economic indicators, technology adoption, interviews, farm typology, farmer field schools, ex-post impact assessment

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