CLFISCROP-LIVESTOCK-FOREST INTEGRATED SYSTEMS

AN OVERVIEW OF THE BRAZILIAN EXPERIENCE

Manuel Claudio Motta MacedoBeef Cattle Research Center

Embrapa-Brasil

CLIS

M. Macedo

FLIS

M.Macedo

83% 7%

CFIS

Lourival Vilela

CLFIS

M.Macedo

7% 1%

Source: Mapa de Biomas do Brasil, IBGE,2004Rio de Janeiro - Scale 1:5.000.000

Amazônia

Cerrado

Caatinga

Pantanal

Mata Atlântica

Pampa

Brasil – Ecological Regions

Amazônia

Cerrado

Caatinga

Pantanal

Mata AtlânticaPampa

Brasil – Ecological Regions

Source: Biomas do Brasil,2011

Brasil – Ecological Regions

Crops 59,0Planted forests

7,6

Exotic pasture

122,0

Native pasture

52,0

Other uses

610,9

Brasil – 851,5 Mha

Land useSources: CONAB, IBGE, SNIF,UNIPASTO

Crops 59,0

Cotton 1,1

Sorghum 1,1

Cassava 1,8

Rice 2,4

Beans 3,0

Corn 8,9

Sugarcane 8,0

Soybeans 27,7

Others 5,0

Pastures 174,0

Native 52,0

Brachiaria 98,0

Panicum 18,0

Others 6,0

Forests 7,6

Eucaliptus 5,5

Pinus 1,6

Others 0,5

Sources: CONAB, IBGE, SNIF,UNIPASTO

Brasil – estimated land use Mha

Evolution of CLIFs - Brazil

Mha

Years

Source: www.ilpf.com.br

11,5 Mha

Estimated area of CLIFs - Brazil

Source: www.ilpf.com.br

Crop-livestock-forest integrated system is asustainable production strategy that integratesagricultural, livestock and forestry activitiescarried out in the same area in intercropping,succession or rotation, and seeks synergisticeffects between the agro-ecosystemcomponents, contemplating environmentaladequacy, appreciation of the man andeconomic viability.

Conceptual framework of CLFISEmbrapa,2011

Why integrated crop-livestocksystems has increased in Brasil ?

M. Macedo

Technological alternative to recover degraded pasture

M. Macedo

Cobucci, 2004

:Cobucci, 2004

Soil degradation

soil compaction

erosion

low carbon less biodiversity

excess of disking

New pests, diseases and weeds in continuous conventional annual crops

Cobucci, 2004

Deforestation must stop

INPE (http://www.inpe.br/

CLFIS can be a strategy for mitigation of GHGgreenhouse gases emission

CLFIS ?

http://www.wri.org

Additional area with CLIFs and CO2 eq stored

Future Target

First TargetAccomplished

mC

LIFs

/ M

ha

Time

Mg

of

CO

2e

q.

sto

red

11,47 Mha of CLIFs 35,1 Mg of stored CO2 eq.

5,51 Mha of CLIFs 13,3 Mg of stored CO2 eq.

Source: www.ilpf.com.br

CLIS, CLFIS and no-tillage a golden partnership

Cobucci, 2004M. Macedo

M. Macedo

GADO DE CORTEM. Macedo

Towards a sustainable intensification: more grain, meat and timber for area

ANOTHER DRIVING FACTORS FOR GROWTH OF CLIS IN BRAZIL

• Simultaneous planting and no-till• Plant desiccant herbicides • Cultivars selective to herbicides • New planting machinery – double or triple boxes: seeds + fertilizer • New process of row arrangement, plant and seed densities• New cultivars and varieties of crops and forages for different regions• A second summer season: ”safrinha” • Transfer of technology – private and public extension• Credit and public policy – ABC Plan

Cobucci, 2004

25-50

150-200 160-200

150-600

200-800

Gross revenue – US$ ha-1 year-1

Economical advantages and sustainable cash flowattractive factors for CLIS and CLFIS adoption

Fonte:Cobucci, 2004

Simultaneous seedling: corn+forage grass Corn+grass: corn maturation

Corn harvestAfter the corn harvest

Fonte:Cobucci, 2004

Pasture ready to be grazed Pasture being desiccated

No-till – seedling of soybeanSoybean growing

Water balance - Campo Grande, MS, Brasil, 1973/2003 Mean annual precipitation - 1527 mm

Calculated based on soil water retention = 75 mm. Dry period = May to September

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Month

0

50

100

150

200

250mm

PREC PET RET

Water Surplus

402 mm

Water Deficit

23 mm

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Month

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

-20

-40

mm

SUR DEF RET REP

Source: Macedo,2010

Typical dynamics of forage dry matter growth and animal live weight gain in Central Brasil

Source: Macedo,2015

GDM Kg/ha LWG Kg/ha

Month

Can CLIS alleviate this pattern ?

LVilela et al., 2012 (prelo)

Milho consorciado com capim

Out Nov Dez Jan Fev Mar Abr Mai Jun Jul Ago Set

"Safrinha de boi"

SojaMilho consorciado com capim ou sorgo consorciado com capim "Safrinha de boi"

"Safrinha de boi"Soja

SojaPD de forrageirasanuais e perenes "Safrinha de boi"

Sobressemeadura de forrageiras anuais e perenes

Forrageiras pós-colheita da soja

Corn + forage grass Livestock in short-period

Soybean

Soybean

Soybean

Livestock in short-period

Livestock in short-period

Livestock in short-period

No-till Corn or Sorghum +forage grass

No-till annual orperennial forage grass +/- legume

Overseedling of annual orperennial forage grasses

Forage grasses aftersoybean harvest Adapted from Vilela L.,2012

Oct Nov Dez Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Ago Set‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘

----------- Rainny season ------------- ---------- Dry season ---------------

Alternatives of livestock production in ‘short periods’ or ‘third season’ by using CLIS

Beef Cattle National Center, Embrapa - May, 2015

NV

CP

C1P3

DP

P4C4FP4C4

C4P4F

C4P4CF

CC

CP

CP

P4C4FP4C4

C1P3

C4P4C4P4F

Long term experiments of CLIS and CLFIS

Strong tool to understand and to modelintegrated crop-livestock-forest

systems in the long run

Soil quality

Annual crops increase soil fertility;

Pastures improve soil physical proprieties;

Crop rotation, including legumes, besides improving soil biodiversity, increases soil carbon;

Forests improve biodiversity, carbon fixation and mitigate GHGs.

Foto:Eloir Denardin

Some results from long term experiments validating the advantages of CLIS AND CLFIS

Stock of soil carbon under traditional systems and CLIS0 to 100 cm – Clayed Oxisol – after 16 years

Mg C ha-1

149

137 134b

155a 151a

108c

121bc123bc

153a161a

134b 130b 131b127b

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Continuous pasture Continuous crop CLIS-1 CLIS-2 CLIS-3Reference

Source: Macedo,Alves,Urquiaga,Zatorre,Jantalia,Boddey,2012

Depth and abundance of forage root grass systemBrachiaria brizantha cv Piatã

Bahia, Brasil

Source: Lourival Vilela, Embrapa Cerrados

Abundance and richness of species - macro fauna of invertebrates CLIS, traditional systems and natural vegetation

Planaltina, DF

Source: Adapted from Marchão (2007)

Systems and soil management Species

Density

(ind./m2)

Richness

(nº)

Natural vegetation 4792 51

Continuos pasture 1653 38

Continuous crop with soil prep. 501 4

Continuous crop no-till 827 46

Pasture – Crop with soil prep. 616 22

Pasture – Crop no-till 992 21

Crop -Pasture with soil prep. 1144 26

Crop -Pasture no-till 3456 52

CLIS and CLFIS

Effects on pests, diseases and weeds cycles

Source: Gorgen et al. (2008).

CLIS and white mold* control in beansrotation with Brachiaria ruziziensis

Santo Antonio de Goiás2006

*Sclerotinia sclerotinium

Management

(%)

Parasitism

Trichoderma spp

(%)

Parasitism

outhers fungi

(%)

Apotécios/m2

Without Brachiaria 41,9 b 44,7 b 22,6 a 18,2 a

With Brachiaria 80,1 a 97,1 a 19,1 a 2,0 b

Dead sclerotia

Reduction of plant diseases

Seeds from differents species of weeds in CLISSeed bank - Depth 0-20 cm

Planaltina, DF

CC: continuous crop, CPC: crop-pasture-crop; PCP: pasture-crop-pasture; CP: continuous pasture;CV: conventional soil preparation, NT: no-till;1: with fertilizer maintenance -; 2: fertilizer at establishment and maintenance;

Source: adapted from Ikeda et al. (2007).

Systems and crop management

CCCV CCNT CPCCV1 CPCCV2 CPCNT PCP1 PCP2 CP

seeds (m 2)

22.747 10.106 45.747 24.400 2.848 2.382 5.115 1.322

Pasture efecct in rotation

Reduction of population of weeds

Crops and treesCampo Grande, MS

Soybeans 4 yrs – Pasture 4 yrs under EucaliptusMacedo, 2013

M. Macedo

M. Macedo

Pasture and TreesCampo Grande, MS

Macedo, 2013P. maximum cv Massai 4 yrs - Soybeans 4 yrs under Eucaliptus

M. Macedo

M. Macedo

CLFIS and livestock production

M. Macedo

CLFIS and soybean grain yield

M. Macedo

21001260 2220960 1680 1140

17 m

CLFIS vs CLIS1560 vs 2820 kg/há

26 vs 47 bags/ha

Soybean grain yield under CLIFSCampo Grande, MS - 2012

Macedo, 2013 – unpublished

CLFIS and GHGs potential mitigation

Years CLFIS-22* CLFIS-14**

after

planting

Animals/ha/year***

1 1,7 2,6

2 6,6 10,3

3 12,5 19,6

4 16,5 26,0

5 9,0 14,2

6 5,4 8,4

* 227 trees/ha ; ** 357 trees/ha;*** Adult animals to be neutralized by C accumulation/year/ha;

Assumptions:Considering only the trunk; Mean annual emission by an adult bovine: 1,86 t of CO2 eq.

Potential annual mitigation of GHGs by CLFIS under two tree arrangements in the Cerrado of Brasil

Source: Ferreira, Macedo, Almeida, unpublished.

Benefits of CLIFs as compared to tradicional systems

Nutrient recycling

Biodiversity andsustainability

Increase inincome

Animalwelfare

Soil quality

Increase in productivitygrain, beef, milk, forestry

Can be used in allproperties size

Labor more efficientalong the year

Energetic balancewater, light, nutrients

Optimization ofproduction factors

Creation ofnew jobs

Image improvement ofproducers before society

Reduction indeforestation

Mitigation ofGHGs

Economic stability less risks and uncertainties

Source: www.ilpf.com.br

Strategic targets of CLIFs

low carbon

Transfer of Technology in CLIS and CLFIS by Embrapa and partners

Field daysCoursesData basesExtensionContinuous training

URTs= Units of technology tranfer

Next 10 years:

CLIS and CLFIS in >than 10 Mha at the degraded pasturearea;

Thus, it will be possible to add up to 10 Mha to grainproduction, with an additional 45 millions ton;

It means to increase about 100% of grain productioncompared to the Cerrados region and about 25% inthe national score, compatible with an annual rategrowth of 1,5-2,0% in grain and meat production.

Expectations for the future

Thank you foryour attention

Beef Cattle

.’.