More than 200 ranchers successfully completed the Field School for Regenerative Livestock in Madre de Dios.

Posted on 21 June 2022

More than 50 thousand hectares are destined for extensive livestock in Madre de Dios (GOREMAD 2021), “the capital of biodiversity”. The traditional production system is one of the main causes of deforestation. It is considered appropriate to have one head of cattle per hectare. Over the time, they burn the soil because the grass regenerates slowly. This activity is one of the main economic assets of the region. However, it is damaging the Amazon at an alarming rate.

The livestock, the meat market, and its derivatives will not disappear. Therefore, it is great to bet on innovative agroforestry methods. It mitigates their effects and accelerates the regeneration of pasture. In addition, the space dedicated to this activity will have better management. For example, the farmers can use cow manure as fertilizer, they y can eliminate agrochemicals using jungle microorganisms, and integrate native trees into the farms. As a result, the forest is nourishing, reforesting, and returning.

This new production model, called "Regenerative Livestock", is the solution for which the Alliance for Regenerative Livestock in the Peruvian Amazon (AGRAP) is committed, an initiative that seeks to promote the recovery of Amazonian forests by strengthening the capacities of Madre de Dios ranchers in agroecological practices. The first stage of the project has the first results after a year of hard work.

One of the main achievements was to fund the "Field Farmers Schools" named ECAS. The classes were designed with dynamic methodologies adapted to the producers and their philosophy of learning by doing. The schedule and the places were selected considering the farmer's needs for eight months of learning. "10 field schools located in Iñapari, Loero, San Bernardo, Iberia, Las Piedras, and Villa Primavera it is a great results. Also, 280 producers were trained, including 10% youth and 38% women. Gender equity and social inclusion in livestock were fundamental principles," said Nelson Gutiérrez, WWF-Peru Specialist.

Friday, June 17th celebrated the final event in Iñapari. It participated British Embassy in Peru, the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MIDAGRI), the National Institute of Innovation Agrarian (INIA), the Regional Directorate of Agriculture (GOREMAD), Provincial Municipality of Tahuamanu, Tropical Forest Alliance, the Livestock Technical Table, and agricultural producers committed to regenerative livestock.

Gaby Rivera, Manager of the Forests and Climate Program at the Embassy of the United Kingdom stressed that thanks to the UK PACT program, "wIt is a collective experience of learning in the field with producers and involving the private sector to consolidate commercial alliances. Thanks to the efforts of all the actors, today we see very encouraging results that, from our embassy, we will accompany in the search for opportunities for the continuity of this Regenerative Livestock Alliance".

"The results in conservation are encouraging. In the last year, pasture areas are less, the farmers are not using agrochemicals, and the areas impacted by extensive livestock are recovering. We recognize the commitment and leadership of the farmers. WWF will be there to support them in this work that connects the landscape and contributes to a regenerative system of the Madre de Dios areas. Regenerative livestock farming is not only an opportunity to conserve forests. It improves productivity in the medium term," said Kurt Holle, Country Director of WWF-Peru.

Regenerative livestock is a reality thanks to the efforts of several organizations. In addition, the project approach was to talk about women's role and youth integrations on the farm. It helped the farmers to understand equity and inclusion."The experience value is to work with livestock families, where parents and children have achieved learning that ensures the continuity of our investments. Also, our wives joinied to learn. Now we can distribute the responsibilities, "said the livestock producer Rene Ikeda.

"Long time we worked degrading our lands. We have organized ourselves into families, and today we have changed our mindset. We do not need a lot of hectareas of land to produce. We have better livestock management. The land is fertilized naturally. The next challenge is to return the trees to the plots," said Verónica Cardozo, a producer from the province of Tahuamanu.

The Alliance for Regenerative Livestock in the Peruvian Amazon (AGRAP) is an example of how nature-based solutions solve global issues, such as the food crisis, and at the same time contribute to mitigating the mitigation of climate change.

The Alliance for Regenerative Livestock in the Peruvian Amazon (AGRAP)

The Alliance for Regenerative Livestock in the Peruvian Amazon (AGRAP) is an initiative that was born within the framework of the project "From policy design to implementation in the field; promoting deforestation-free livestock", promoted by Climate Group, World Wildlife Fund Peru (WWF Peru), and Tropical Forest Alliance (TFA) with the financial support of the UK PACT.