Context
Traditional and extensive livestock farming has contributed, through deforestation processes, to the loss of biodiversity and associated ecosystem services, intensifying the negative effects of climate change, reducing productivity levels, and negatively affecting the livelihoods of livestock-raising families.
Small and medium-sized livestock producers have limited access to technical assistance and, in almost all cases, lack the necessary funds to implement agrosilvopastoral systems. This results in low productivity levels, limited environmental indicators for the activity, and negative impacts on the livelihoods of livestock-raising families.
Our approach
The BioPaSOS project seeks to promote the implementation of agrosilvopastoral systems and other good practices so that they (1) support the restoration of degraded areas, (2) contribute to increasing system productivity, (3) maintain and/or increase the provision of ecosystem services, (4) reduce vulnerability to climate change, and (5) contribute to restoring and/or increasing connectivity in livestock landscapes.
In addition, the implementation of BioPaSOS will facilitate the creation and operation of learning communities focused on knowledge management to improve their skills and the establishment and management of agrosilvopastoral systems with climate-smart benefits.
This will be supported by the proposal of a policy and institutional framework to facilitate the implementation of sustainable, profitable livestock practices adapted to climate variability.
Objective
The objective of BioPaSOS is to promote sustainable livestock production systems and practices that support biodiversity conservation while contributing to improving the livelihoods of livestock-raising families. To achieve this, the project will implement an intervention model based on agrosilvopastoral systems and good livestock farming practices. The intervention will be carried out at different levels and scales, all of which are necessary for biodiversity conservation.
In addition, BioPaSOS will generate information that will enable informed and timely decision-making for the design of public policy instruments that incorporate sustainability elements and the reduction of climate impacts. It will also facilitate the exploration of available options for marketing differentiated products, thereby helping to strengthen the participation of the livestock sector in value chains. This strengthening also includes promoting partnerships with private-sector actors, academia, and other partners.
Multiplier effect
BioPaSOS seeks to extend its results beyond the project implementation phase by generating cutting-edge tools for impact monitoring, identifying practices and technologies that improve productivity indicators and the provision of ecosystem services in the livestock sector, designing proposals for policymakers based on inputs or evidence from applied research, and facilitating public-private partnerships that will support the design of financial and non-financial mechanisms for the adoption of agrosilvopastoral systems through the promotion of added value.
Intervention areas
The project carries out activities in three states of Mexico, as shown on the following map.
Contact: csepul@catie.ac.cr