Integrated Livestock Production Systems
Translated from Portuguese. Original published by PRETATERRA.
PRETATERRA explains: a little more about the Crop-Livestock Integration (ILP), Crop-Livestock-Forest (ILPF) and silvopastoral systems
In pastoral systems, efficiency is mainly attributed to amount of organic matter in the soil, volume of forage produced (ton/ha) and stocking rate, resulting in ecological benefits such as carbon sequestration, water and biodiversity retention and less land required for production. However, few management systems contribute to achieving this efficiency in its entirety, sometimes resulting in areas with some degree of degradation. In line with this concept of ecological and productive efficiency, the adoption of agroforestry systems, such as silvopastoralism, has been highlighted as one of the most effective options for recovering degraded pastures and increasing productivity.
This is attributed to the incorporation of various environmental services provided by the system. These systems are characterized by the integration of trees (native or exotic), mixed or single-species pasture and an animal component, with the aim of obtaining products or services from the components present. And they stand out for conserving soil and water resources, carbon sequestration and increasing biodiversity. The increase in animal productivity is justified by the interaction between the components of the system. Trees contribute to ensuring the thermal comfort of animals, providing more rumination time and less idle time. Reducing energy losses to dissipate heat also has an influence on the herd's production and reproductive rates. When you combine legumes, there are multiple nutritional contributions from both the animal and soil aspects.
Raising Alentejo pigs in the montado system
Agroforests are ancient anthropogenic systems that, in some instance, replicate natural cycles or dispositions, in time and space, adding woody perennial plants to integrated productive arrangements, pastoral or agricultural; promoting greater biological diversity and ecological resilience. These characteristics are found in one of Europe’s oldest agroforestry systems, the montado system. Between the 1950s and early 1990s there was a disruption in the ancestral method of producing Alentejo pigs, in the south of the Iberian Peninsula. From 1990 onwards, efforts were made to recover the Montados and reintroduce the Alentejano pig, known for its unique quality. Currently, the system preserves the ancestral management strategies that defined the logic of the system and guaranteed one of the most beautiful Portuguese landscapes. The Alentejano pig and native trees of the Quercus genus are the main components of this ancient practice, and when integrated, they guarantee the ecological and productive balance of the Montado system. The Alentejana breed is extremely adapted to the conditions of this agroecosystem, converting available feed efficiently. Cork oaks (Quercus suber) and holm oaks (Quercus rotundifolia L.) generate acorns, highly energetic fruits rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, which guarantee compensatory weight gain in pigs during the growing or fattening phase, increasing intramuscular fat and marbling. Cork oaks also produce cork. Portugal is a leading supplier of this material.
Meet our experts
Everton Lemos is an animal scientist (UNESP), postgraduate in Animal and Pasture Science (ESALQ-USP) and specialist in regenerative animal production.
He works as a consultant at PRETATERRA in the planning, implementation and management of agroforests associated with animal production.
