Resilient farms network under sustainable forest management

Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay created an integrated network of sustainable productive experiences based on the multiple use of the forest in the Chaco region, encompassing its socio-environmental diversity.

Context of the story

The Gran Chaco Americano occupies 1,100,000 km2 in Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay and currently represents a global hotspot of deforestation for agriculture and livestock. Intensive livestock production system is transforming the diverse and multi-stratified forest into unsustainable “savannah” systems (known as traditional silvopastoral systems) representing a deferred deforestation process. This process of land use change has caused a loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, endangering the resilience of production systems in the face of climate change. Adaptive management for the multiple forest uses by integrating livestock, is positioned as a productive alternative considering the conservation of the socio-ecosystems of the Chaco forests.

A network of experiences and knowledge that contributes to increase resilience in Chaco farms.

The implemented initiative

INTA, IPTA and NATIVA have been working to promote the multiple use of the Chaco forest through adaptive management within a sustainability framework.
With FONTAGRO, we aim to strengthen this process through the formation of a network with a common methodology. The network will allow the integration of producers' experiences into sustainable forest management with integrated livestock through information flow and organization, strengthening their resilience under climate change.
The objectives of the initiative are: (i) to create a network of adaptive forest management experiences; (ii) monitor and adjust the forest management experiences of producers that integrate the network; (iii) add capabilities and competencies to local actors, and socialize information to other society sectors.

A network that allow us to grow together under sustainable forest management

The technological solution

The network strength the information flow between productive systems, professionals and public administration, becoming a tool in a continuous improvement process under adaptive and sustainable management of the Chaco Forest.
The common monitoring system for the dynamic evaluation of production processes, based on a hierarchical system of principles, criteria and indicators, will facilitate to address the complexity of the sustainability concept in a logical, objective and integrated manner. The development of specific tools for monitoring, such as a common methodology, an app to record indicators survey and a unified database, will facilitate the monitoring of forest management plans for a dynamic evaluation. In addition, we can detect shortcomings in different stages of the processes, and training needs for producers, professionals and public administration agents. This provides a tool for the sustainability analysis of the production processes at the farm, territorial and regional scales.

“The forest is everything for us, the flower for the bees, shelter and food for animal production, the carob, the medicinal herbs, the timber and even the firewood for cooking”

Las Guapas, women adding value to the forest products. Chancaní, Córdoba

Participating countries

Type of project

Agronomic Practices

Results

The project will impact on 2,000 direct beneficiaries, including small and medium-sized producers, indigenous communities in Argentina and Paraguay, and professionals from the three partner countries.
Improvements are expected in 80% of actual farms under monitoring in main three dimensions:
Environmental: Greater provision of forest ecosystem services by increasing carbon stock and net primary production; decreasing soil erosion and interannual production variability; improving forest structure, functionality and conservation.
Economic-productive: Increased production and decreased risk of climate change through product diversification; improvement of livestock productive and reproductive indices; increase in forest production.
Social: Improvement in settlement conditions by improving labour quality; incorporation of women and young people into productive activities; adoption of sustainable technologies and practices.