Grasslands, cattle and land use in the neotropics and subtropics

The paper reviews trends in land use change in the tropics and subtropics of Latin America and the Caribbean, and their relation to the evolution of the cattle industry in the region. It is posited that horizontal expansion is nearly finished, and that cattle sector, and the grasslands that support...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Vera, Raúl R., Rivas Ríos, Libardo
Formato: Informe técnico
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Center for Tropical Agriculture 1996
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/72010
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author Vera, Raúl R.
Rivas Ríos, Libardo
author_browse Rivas Ríos, Libardo
Vera, Raúl R.
author_facet Vera, Raúl R.
Rivas Ríos, Libardo
author_sort Vera, Raúl R.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description The paper reviews trends in land use change in the tropics and subtropics of Latin America and the Caribbean, and their relation to the evolution of the cattle industry in the region. It is posited that horizontal expansion is nearly finished, and that cattle sector, and the grasslands that support it, are beginning to intensify. Nevertheless a number of paradoxes subsist and are discussed. Most notable among these are the interactions among land speculation, a characteristic aspect of much of the extensive cattle industry throughout history, with policies and technologies. An overview of grassland-based cattle systems is given and their social, economic and environmental are discussed, showing some of the tradeoffs between intensification, equity and environmental impact. In this context, the desirability of integrating the crop and cattle enterprises is pointed out, and some of the barely incipient trends are identified. The potential benefits brought about by public sector funded research on tropical pastures has been simulated and is summarized, implying that this area of investment has been systematically underfunded. Lastly, the overriding importance of policy changes, and their close interactions with technology developments are analyzed based on simulations ran for the region, and it is concluded that grassland and animal scientists should become more involved in policy debates regarding development of the sector and its environmental implications.
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publishDate 1996
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spelling CGSpace720102025-11-05T17:26:48Z Grasslands, cattle and land use in the neotropics and subtropics Vera, Raúl R. Rivas Ríos, Libardo grasslands cattle land use socioeconomic environment environmental impact praderas ganado bovino utilización de la tierra entorno socioeconómico impacto ambiental The paper reviews trends in land use change in the tropics and subtropics of Latin America and the Caribbean, and their relation to the evolution of the cattle industry in the region. It is posited that horizontal expansion is nearly finished, and that cattle sector, and the grasslands that support it, are beginning to intensify. Nevertheless a number of paradoxes subsist and are discussed. Most notable among these are the interactions among land speculation, a characteristic aspect of much of the extensive cattle industry throughout history, with policies and technologies. An overview of grassland-based cattle systems is given and their social, economic and environmental are discussed, showing some of the tradeoffs between intensification, equity and environmental impact. In this context, the desirability of integrating the crop and cattle enterprises is pointed out, and some of the barely incipient trends are identified. The potential benefits brought about by public sector funded research on tropical pastures has been simulated and is summarized, implying that this area of investment has been systematically underfunded. Lastly, the overriding importance of policy changes, and their close interactions with technology developments are analyzed based on simulations ran for the region, and it is concluded that grassland and animal scientists should become more involved in policy debates regarding development of the sector and its environmental implications. 1996 2016-02-29T17:14:01Z 2016-02-29T17:14:01Z Report https://hdl.handle.net/10568/72010 en Open Access application/pdf International Center for Tropical Agriculture Vera, Raúl R.; Rivas Rios, Libardo. 1996. Grasslands, cattle and land use in the neotropics and subtropics. Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Cali, CO. 27 p.
spellingShingle grasslands
cattle
land use
socioeconomic environment
environmental impact
praderas
ganado bovino
utilización de la tierra
entorno socioeconómico
impacto ambiental
Vera, Raúl R.
Rivas Ríos, Libardo
Grasslands, cattle and land use in the neotropics and subtropics
title Grasslands, cattle and land use in the neotropics and subtropics
title_full Grasslands, cattle and land use in the neotropics and subtropics
title_fullStr Grasslands, cattle and land use in the neotropics and subtropics
title_full_unstemmed Grasslands, cattle and land use in the neotropics and subtropics
title_short Grasslands, cattle and land use in the neotropics and subtropics
title_sort grasslands cattle and land use in the neotropics and subtropics
topic grasslands
cattle
land use
socioeconomic environment
environmental impact
praderas
ganado bovino
utilización de la tierra
entorno socioeconómico
impacto ambiental
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/72010
work_keys_str_mv AT veraraulr grasslandscattleandlanduseintheneotropicsandsubtropics
AT rivasrioslibardo grasslandscattleandlanduseintheneotropicsandsubtropics