Mexico declares sustainable livestock as a priority issue in the economies of Jalisco, Chiapas and Campeche

• The governments of these states, with the support of AGRICULTURA, signed a declaration of sustainable livestock farming, together with CATIE and IICA, in which they committed to continue encouraging and promoting it.

November 19, 2021. In Mexico, specifically in the states of Jalisco, Chiapas and Campeche, cattle ranching is one of the most important land uses, on which thousands of families depend. However, traditional and extensive cattle ranching has favored deforestation, the loss of biodiversity and associated ecosystem services, increasing the negative effects of climate change and causing a decrease in the productive indexes of the activity and the well-being of cattle-raising families.

In this regard, the Coordination of Livestock of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRICULTURA); the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER, its Spanish acronym) of the state of Jalisco; the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (SAGyP, its Spanish acronym) of the state of Chiapas, the Ministry of Rural Development (SDR, its Spanish acronym,) of the state of Campeche; with the support of CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) signed the Declaration on Sustainable Livestock in Mexico, 2021.

Through this agreement, the signatories commit to promote sustainable livestock farming with the participation of partners and allies from research institutes and centers, universities, civil society organizations, financial institutions, agri-food companies and international organizations that contribute to the generation and use of knowledge with social equity, with the objective of improving productivity and the sustainable management of biodiversity and natural resources. In addition, they jointly commit to make efforts to seek resources to develop concrete actions in favor of sustainable livestock farming in their territories.

This is based on the understanding that sustainable livestock production is based on the implementation of good production practices, including silvo-pastoral systems, with the objective of increasing the productivity and profitability of livestock production systems, making them more resilient to climate variability and the negative impacts of climate change.

These good production practices represent a series of technological innovations that contribute to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, conserving biodiversity, maintaining the generation of critical ecosystem services for the sustainability of these production systems and reducing the pressure exerted by the agricultural frontier, especially on forest areas, in order to promote a balance between production and conservation," the statement said.

Thanks to multiple research, technical cooperation and training, there is evidence that livestock production models based on silvo-pastoral systems and good livestock husbandry practices provide a balance between the environmental, social and economic aspects, and can become a reality.

On behalf of the national government, Arturo Macosay, general coordinator of Livestock of the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRICULTURA), signed the declaration. "We are committed to promoting sustainable livestock farming for the benefit of people and thus guaranteeing food security and the right to food, while conserving and caring for biodiversity. I understand that the livestock sector maintains high challenges and expectations for you and society, but I know that new ideas and mechanisms will continue to emerge from these spaces to solve all the issues that arise," said Macosay.

In addition, from the state governments, the signing event was attended by: Ramón Gabriel Ochoa, Secretary of the SDR (Campeche); Carlos Alberto Jiménez, Area Director of Productive Chains and Sustainability of SADER (Jalisco), on behalf of Ana Lucía Camacho, Secretary of SADER; and Osvaldo Iturbe Orbe, from the Coordination of Financing and Agricultural and Agro-industrial Commercialization of SAGyP (Chiapas), on behalf of Zaynia Andrea Gil, Secretary of SAGyP.

Ochoa mentioned that in Campeche more than 17,000 producers are engaged in livestock farming and that the state has protected natural areas covering more than 2 million hectares, representing 40% of the state's surface area. "We face great challenges to achieve a greater and better balance between the needs of our population and the management of natural resources in the state, so moving from extensive and conventional livestock farming to sustainable livestock farming is one of Campeche's priorities, and we cannot do it alone. We join this initiative to continue working together to achieve the sustainable livestock farming that we so desire," said Ochoa.

SAGyP emphasized that the declaration underscores the commitment of the government of Chiapas to redouble its efforts to strengthen livestock productivity and competitiveness by working with less impact on natural resources, favoring the use of best practices to optimize conservation in communities and production units.

In the case of Jalisco, Jiménez said that for Jalisco the environmental agenda in the agricultural sector has been a priority agenda, which is why the implementation of silvo-pastoral systems and sustainable livestock models has been addressed. "After three years we can say that the effort is noticeable and that when there is will it is reflected in terms of the number of producers that have been supported in this area. Today, the Program for the Promotion of Sustainable Livestock Production is a reality in Jalisco. We want Jalisco to continue being a leading producer but in a responsible manner, so we reiterate our commitment for Jalisco to continue being a productive reference, but also a reference in terms of climate change, the conservation of our forest resources and all natural resources, with which we finally produce," he said.

Muhammad Ibrahim, Director General of CATIE, after signing the declaration, said that CATIE's commitment is to continue promoting sustainable livestock farming in Mexico, and thus contribute with concrete answers to national and Latin American needs. "I hope that this declaration will be of great benefit and that we will continue working with all of you, actively pursuing the goal of promoting inclusive green development in your actions. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for joining this commitment and congratulate you for the excellent work you are doing on behalf of livestock producers in your states, and from CATIE, we recognize your contributions to our work, which undoubtedly make our work achieve the positive impacts we seek," added Ibrahim.

Diego Montenegro, IICA representative in Mexico, who also signed the declaration, said that cooperation for agriculture and participation in the BioPaSOS project with CATIE is an important act because livestock farming can and must contribute to sustainable, green and inclusive development and because the contributions of small and medium-scale livestock farmers, both men and women, are essential to boost the development of local economies and the progress of communities. "In the presence of a climate crisis, renewed forms of food production are required to guarantee its sustainability and preserve biodiversity, adapting to climate change within the new development paradigms that are currently being proposed, where the transformation of agri-food systems plays a fundamental role," Montenegro stressed.

The signing of this declaration took place within the framework of the Virtual Seminar on Sustainable Livestock: an Option for Conserving Biodiversity, held on November 8, 10 and 12, with the participation of hundreds of people from more than 25 countries.

The seminar was organized by the Biodiversity and Sustainable Agro-silvopastoral Livestock Landscapes Project, known as BioPaSOS, which is implemented by CATIE, with the support of IICA and the INNOVAGRO Network, in coordination with the National Commission for Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) and AGRICULTURA, with funding from the International Climate Initiative (IKI) and in coordination and support of multiple local partners in their territories of intervention.

For more information:

Claudia Sepúlveda
BioPaSOS Project Coordinator
CATIE
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Written by:

Karla Salazar Leiva
Communicator
Information Technology and Communication
CATIE
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