CATIE provides expertise at Heifer Forum on sustainable livestock and landscapes in Honduras

• Experts discuss strategies for regenerative agriculture and biodiversity conservation in livestock systems

November 13, 2023 CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) participated in the HEIFER Forum on the contribution of sustainable livestock to sustainable landscapes, held in the city of Catacamas, Olancho, on November 10. This event brought together experts and leaders from the livestock sector, as well as local stakeholders and representatives from the Secretariat of Agriculture and Livestock (SAG), the Secretariat of Natural Resources and Environment (SERNA) and the Institute of Forest Conservation (ICF) to explore innovative approaches to achieve sustainable and resilient landscapes, as well as regenerative agriculture methods to assess the environmental impact of livestock systems.

CATIE was represented by Claudia Garcia, coordinator of the MAF-Livestock Honduras project, and Edwin Garcia, researcher of the Livestock and Environment Unit (GAMMA) and a.i. representative of Honduras. Researcher García participated as a speaker, addressing the importance of tree cover on livestock farms as a contribution to national and global biodiversity objectives. He stressed that the inventory and spatial distribution of biomass and tree cover in the agricultural landscape are crucial indicators of the landscape's capacity to conserve biodiversity and achieve sustainable production.

CATIE has developed innovative tools to estimate the biomass and carbon stored in live fences in the municipality of Catacamas, Olancho. The results indicate that carbon storage ranges between 77.1 and 66.1 tons of CO2₂ equivalent in multi-layer and simple live fences, respectively. In addition, using remote monitoring techniques, it was identified that the livestock landscape is composed of 52% pasture, 32% forest, 14% live fences and 2% scrub.

The event was attended by a large group of approximately 77 people, including the Vice Minister of Livestock of Honduras, Ángel Acosta, as well as representatives of the Honduran livestock sector. Also noteworthy was the significant presence of local livestock farming families, who shared their experiences and efforts to move towards sustainable and resilient livestock farming in the region.

The Heifer Forum was consolidated as a fundamental space for dialogue and collaboration to address the challenges of sustainable livestock farming and its impact on the conservation of landscapes and biodiversity in Honduras.