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Assessing the economic viability of integrated crop−livestock systems in Mato Grosso, Brazil

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 September 2019

Júlio César dos Reis Open the ORCID record for Júlio César dos Reis [Opens in a new window] ,
Mariana Y. T. Kamoi ,
Daniel Latorraca ,
Rafael F. F. Chen ,
Miqueias Michetti ,
Flávio Jesus Wruck ,
Rachael D. Garrett ,
Judson Ferreira Valentim ,
Renato de Aragão Ribeiro Rodrigues  and
Saulo Rodrigues-Filho
Júlio César dos Reis*
Affiliation:
Embrapa Agrosilvipastoral, Sinop, MT, Brazil
Mariana Y. T. Kamoi
Affiliation:
Network Technology Transfer - ILPF, Brasília, DF, Brazil
Daniel Latorraca
Affiliation:
Mato Grosso Institute of Agriculture Economics (IMEA), Cuiabá, MT, Brazil
Rafael F. F. Chen
Affiliation:
Mato Grosso Institute of Agriculture Economics (IMEA), Cuiabá, MT, Brazil
Miqueias Michetti
Affiliation:
Mato Grosso Institute of Agriculture Economics (IMEA), Cuiabá, MT, Brazil
Flávio Jesus Wruck
Affiliation:
Embrapa Agrosilvipastoral, Sinop, MT, Brazil
Rachael D. Garrett
Affiliation:
Departments of Environmental System Science and Humanities, Social, and Political Science, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
Judson Ferreira Valentim
Affiliation:
Embrapa Acre, Rio Branco, AC, Brazil
Renato de Aragão Ribeiro Rodrigues
Affiliation:
Embrapa Soils, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
Saulo Rodrigues-Filho
Affiliation:
Sustainable Development Center, University of Brasília, DF, Brazil
*
Author for correspondence: Júlio César dos Reis, E-mail: julio.reis@embrapa.br
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Abstract

Population growth and rising incomes have led to increasing global demand for meat products. Meeting this demand without converting remaining natural ecosystems or further degrading ecosystems is one of the largest global sustainability challenges. A critical step to overcoming this challenge is to increase the productivity of livestock grazing systems, which occupy the largest land area of any type of agriculture globally. Integrated crop−livestock systems (iCL), which re-couple crop and livestock production at the farm scale, have been considered a promising strategy to tackle this challenge by restoring degraded pasturelands and providing supplemental nutrition to livestock. However, few studies have analyzed the economic viability of such systems, especially in Brazil, an important player in global food systems. This paper presents an economic analysis of iCL in Mato Grosso, Brazil, the largest grain and beef producer in the country, which spans the ecologically diverse Amazon, Cerrado and Pantanal biomes. We compare the economic performance of an integrated soybean/corn and beef cattle system to a continuous crop (soybean/corn) system and a continuous livestock (beef cattle) production system from 2005 to 2012. We use empirical case study data to characterize a ‘typical’ farm for each production system within the study region. We find that the integrated crop−livestock system has a higher annual net present value (NPV) per hectare (ha) than continuous cropping or livestock under a range of discount rates. However, under a scenario of substantially higher crop prices, the continuous cropping outperforms iCL. While iCL is not feasible in all regions of the Amazon and Cerrado, our results indicate that in places where the biophysical and market conditions are suitable for production, it could be a highly profitable way to intensify cattle production and potentially spare land for other uses, including conservation. Nevertheless, additional credit and technical support may be needed to overcome high upfront costs and informational barriers to increase iCL areas as a sustainable development strategy for agriculture in the Amazon and Cerrado regions.

Keywords

AmazoncattleCerradoland usesoysustainable agricultureQ00Q10Q14
Type
Research Paper
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 35 , Issue 6 , December 2020 , pp. 631 - 642
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019

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