The inclusion of <i>Leucaena diversifolia</i> in a Colombian beef cattle production system: An economic perspective

Abstract

Keynote paper presented at the International Leucaena Conference, 1‒3 November 2018, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.Despite the great potential of legumes in cattle production, their adoption and use throughout the tropical world remain limited. While this is largely attributed to factors such as limited knowledge or access to credit, lack of information on the viability and profitability of the technology can influence the adoption decision. The objective of this study is to evaluate the profitability of including Leucaena diversifolia, accession ILRI 15551 in a Colombian beef cattle production system. For this purpose, we use data from a grazing experiment comparing a grass-legume association (Brachiaria hybrid cv. Cayman and L. diversifolia) with a grass monoculture (cv. Cayman) in the Valle del Cauca department, both with the purpose of beef production. We use a discounted cash flow model, developed with the simulation software @Risk, which considers inherent risk and uncertainty factors in these types of rural investment projects, under three different pasture degradation scenarios. The results indicate that the inclusion of L. diversifolia is financially profitable and substantially improves the associated risk and performance indicators. Profitability indicators increased in a range of 15‒110%, and the probability of suffering economic losses decreased from 72% to 0%. The results were directly related to the increases in animal productivity (49%) and efficiency resulting from including the legume. This work shows that L. diversifolia has significant potential to increase both animal production and profitability, which is conducive to the sustainable intensification of beef production in grazing systems.

Pasture diversification affects soil macrofauna and soil biophysical properties in tropical (silvo)pastoral systems

“…Many studies have confirmed strong relationship between vegetation and soil biota (Bardgett et al, 2005;Wardle et al, 2004), but causal effects of plant biomass and species composition on soil macrofauna remain poorly understood. Although the quantification of plant biomass was not the specific objective of the present study, enhanced plant productivity due to pasture diversification and/or legume inclusion permitted higher stocking rates and higher animal productivity in terms of meat production in the same experiment as described in previous studies (Durango et al, 2017;Enciso et al, 2019). Since the establishment of the experiment, the carrying capacity of pastures was adapted to pasture productivity and cattle stocking rates were increased to four bulls in SPS (when compared to three bulls in CP and LP).…”

International Leucaena Conference 2018: Highlights and priorities

“…All of the above results were with L. leucocephala so the positive economic response to incorporation of L. diversifolia in a Colombian cattle system experiment was especially interesting (Enciso et al 2019).…”

Promoting Forage Legume–Pollinator Interactions: Integrating Crop Pollination Management, Native Beekeeping and Silvopastoral Systems in Tropical Latin America

“…Sustainable intensification strategies are a subject of algid debate. Despite the positive impacts of incorporation of forage legumes on cattle production systems (e.g., GHG emission reductions, animal welfare, biodiversity or land sparing) (Jansen et al, 1997;Rivas and Holmann, 2000;Peters et al, 2001;Valentim and Andrade, 2005;Enciso et al, 2019), an increased profitability of the system could be a driver for further expansion of the agricultural frontier at the expense of forests or protected ecosystems (Kaimowitz and Angelsen, 2008;Peñuela et al, 2011Peñuela et al, , 2014CIAT and Cormacarena, 2017). This is likely to happen on marginal lands (Maertens et al, 2006;Barretto et al, 2013), cheap lands (White et al, 2001) or where land tenure is unclear (Kubitza et al, 2018).…”