Re-thinking investment:
Sustainable intensification for complex landscapes – the case of the Llanos inColombia: big risks, big benefits?
Multiple ecosystems, medium to large farms and
industrial crops
The “Llanos”: Agribusiness on the rise!
One challenge:sustainable development by preserving/ improving ecosystem services in complex
landscapes
The Llanos region
Llanos is not the Cerrados!Challenge is bigger - production affected by poorer soils and limited infrastructure
and access to inputs and services
Sustainable agriculture must be developed
for local conditions
To partially transform the country’s vast and largely
undeveloped eastern plains by establishing sustainable agriculture in the region
Ultimate Goal
Challenge is big, but possible to overcome
through a shared commitment on eco-efficiency from the
research (based on applicable principles - not
recipes), government, and private sectors,
including NGOs (working in conservation)
Main message
Can evidence based research help different investors take sustainable solutions to scale?
Research for sustainable solutions
Research line ResultsCrops (maize, soybean)
Two fold increase in productivity by improving (re-building!) top soil conditions
Cattle From 0.2 heads / Ha (native savanna) to 2-3 heads / Ha (improved pastures)
Rubber Evaluation of clonesRice Breed for varieties resistant to diseasesSugarcane Adaptation of for bioethanol productionetc… etc…
• Traditional approach: solid results!
Research for sustainable solutions
Research line ResultsEcosystem services
Soil restoration to bring savannahs commercial agriculture while increasing soil C stocksC sequestration and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions with improved management (mostly in pastures and perennial plantations)
Map of C stocks in the soils as result of combined natural and anthropogenic factors!Impact of agriculture on quality of production plots, forests and wetlands Land-use planning: No-go zones, protection of critical ES sources
• Research for eco-efficient agriculture in practice:
RisksAction Potential
Conversion of native savannas to industrial agriculture
Loss of natural habitats, flora, fauna and multiple ecosystems services
Unsustainable land-use practices
Lands unproductive and exhausted
Large-scale monocultures Environmental impacts and risks (e.g., over-reliance on chemical fertilisers and pesticides)
Expansion of new crops in the region
Industrial use rather than food (e.g., sugarcane for bio-ethanol, soybean for livestock feed)
• Government– Food security, GDP
growth– Rural job generation
(3.5m in the Llanos)– Infrastructure– Environmental
protection• Private Sector – Profit– Long term
sustainability from high initial investments
Rethinking Investment