AGROSAVIA’s expertise in silvopastoral systems reaches Ecuador to promote more sustainable livestock production

• AGROSAVIA researchers shared the technologies developed in Colombia on silvopastoral systems, cattle nutrition, and environmental management with technicians and livestock producers from Ecuador’s Pichincha Province. This knowledge transfer is part of a binational cooperation project aimed at promoting more efficient, resilient, and sustainable livestock production in both countries.

 

Mosquera, Cundinamarca. July 9, 2026. Livestock production faces the challenge of increasing food production while reducing environmental impacts and enhancing its capacity to adapt to climate change. In this context, scientific cooperation among countries has become a strategic tool for accelerating the adoption of technologies that address producers’ needs while strengthening the sustainability of livestock production systems.

To this end, Corporación colombiana de investigación agropecuaria (AGROSAVIA) organized the virtual seminar “Experiences in Cold-Climate Silvopastoral Systems in Colombia as a Foundation for Sustainable Livestock Production,” aimed at technicians and livestock producers from the Prefecture of Pichincha Province, Ecuador.

The seminar is part of the project “Improvement of Livestock Production Systems for the Pichincha Province,” led by AGROSAVIA’s Tibaitatá Research Center and implemented under the framework of the Ninth Joint Commission on Technical and Scientific Cooperation between Colombia and Ecuador. Through this initiative, AGROSAVIA transfers knowledge and technological innovations designed to strengthen the capacities of Ecuadorian technical teams in areas such as cattle nutrition, grazing management, and sustainable livestock production systems.

 

Colombian Technologies for More Sustainable Livestock Production

The seminar brought together research conducted by AGROSAVIA across different regions of Colombia to showcase technological alternatives that can be adapted to the agroecological conditions of the Ecuadorian Highlands, particularly in the Pichincha Province, whose environmental characteristics are comparable to those of Colombia’s cold-climate livestock production systems.

During the event, participants learned about experiences related to the design, establishment, and management of silvopastoral systems, an approach that integrates trees, shrubs, and pastures to improve productivity, animal welfare, and the environmental sustainability of livestock farms.

The researchers also presented findings on the nutritional value of forages produced in these systems, highlighting management practices that enhance forage quality and improve cattle feeding efficiency. In addition, they shared evidence on the role of specific metabolites found in forage species in reducing methane emissions, one of the main greenhouse gases associated with livestock production.

 

Improved Animal Welfare and Reduced Environmental Impact

Another key topic addressed was the impact of silvopastoral systems on animal welfare. The incorporation of a tree component provides shade and improves the environmental conditions within grazing paddocks, reducing heat stress and promoting the natural behavior of livestock.

These improved conditions translate into better productive performance in both dairy and beef production systems, demonstrating that livestock efficiency can be increased while fostering a more balanced relationship between animals and their environment.

Environmental sustainability was also a central focus of the seminar. Researchers presented progress in the development of a technological tool designed to estimate the carbon balance of livestock farms by integrating information on methane emissions, soil organic matter, and tree-based carbon sequestration within silvopastoral systems.

This calculator, currently undergoing validation by AGROSAVIA, is intended to become a decision-support tool that enables producers and technical professionals to assess the environmental performance of their production systems and guide management decisions toward livestock production with a lower carbon footprint.

 

Scientific Cooperation Strengthens Regional Innovation

Beyond presenting research results, the seminar created an opportunity for knowledge exchange between Colombian researchers and Ecuadorian technical professionals, who discussed how to adapt these technologies to the productive conditions in Pichincha Province and addressed practical questions regarding their implementation in the field.

In this way, cooperation between Colombia and Ecuador goes beyond knowledge exchange and becomes a platform for fostering innovation, strengthening technical capacities, and promoting more productive, resilient, and sustainable livestock production throughout the Andean region.