(EFE).- A dozen countries in Latin America are promoting sustainable livestock farming with projects that increase meat production while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations reported this Sunday. and Agriculture (FAO).
These initiatives include eco-friendly practices such as tending pastures and managing residues and waste, explained the international organization, which is headquartered for the region in Santiago de Chile.
A total of 30 projects have been implemented with the help of FAO since 2021 in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay.
“The ultimate goal is to achieve net-zero emissions, which means that animal production does not emit more greenhouse gases than the trees and meadows used for that production can absorb,” said FAO Animal Health and Biodiversity Official Andrés González .
The livestock sector in Latin America contributes only between 2% and 3% of the region’s total greenhouse gas emissions
The livestock sector in Latin America contributes only between 2% and 3% of the region’s total greenhouse gas emissions.
However, the FAO pointed out that “its sustainable management is key to addressing the impacts of climate change, reducing deforestation, conserving natural resources and expanding opportunities for thousands of small producers.”
“Evidence from several countries in the region shows us that sustainable, resilient, inclusive and low-carbon livestock farming is quite feasible,” González added.
In Uruguay, for example, 60 families have increased their net income by 50% thanks to a project that includes technologies that increase carbon sequestration and improve soil health and water quality.
In Corrientes, Argentina, according to the FAO, ranchers increased their meat production by 74% while reducing the intensity of their emissions by 21% without increasing grazing area.
Another example is the Climate-Smart Livestock project in Ecuador, thanks to which 40,000 hectares of land have been improved and more than a thousand livestock farmers have achieved a 16% increase in income and a 26% reduction in gas emissions.
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