UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference

2. OBJETIVE
To share with the audience on-farm research findings on
Agroforestry as an alternative for Sustainable Land Management
under Cuban conditions.

3. In Cuba desertification affects 14
% of its total land (1 580 996 ha)

4. 5.8 kWh m-² day-1
S.O.S!
Deforestation Land degradation
?

5. Silvopastoral Systems = Agri-biocenosis activated!

6. MATERIALS AND METHODS
Type and level of
Soil type Trees
Productive supplementation /
Agroecosystems (Fertility density
purpose Stocking rate
level) (tree ha-1)
(LU ha-1)
C. nlemfuensis + L. leucocephala Cambisols
6 350 1 kg (FB) of molasses (1.67)
Association (Medium)
Native pastures + L. leucocephala Cambisols 1 kg (FB) of concentrate *
3 440
Milk production Association (Low) (1.11)
(Dairy farms) C. nlemfuensis + L. leucocephala Ferrasols 2 kg (FB) of concentrate *
5 480
Association (Medium) (1.51)
Ferrasols 3 kg (FB) of concentrate *
P. maximun in monoculture 0
(High) (1.13)
C. nlemfuensis - L. leucocephala Cambisols None
Beef production 14 298
Association (Medium) (1.03)
(Growth-fattening
Cambisols None
farms) Native pastures in monoculture 0
(Medium) (1.03)
*Iso-protein concentrates with 15.3 % Crude Protein

7. MATERIALS AND METHODS
(i) Holstein x Zebu crossbred.
(ii) Lactating cows milked twice a day.
(iii) Fattening cattle were subjected to
a growth-fattening period of 110
and 154 days during rainy and dry
seasons, respectively.
(i) Botanical composition of
grassland.
(ii) Quality and yield of biomass.
Sustainability (iii) Milk yield.
indicators (iv) Reproduction performance.
(v) Body weight gain.

8. MAIN FINDINGS
Milk Production Reproductive performance
Agroecosystems
(kg) (days)
305 days- Daily yield Open Period Calving Interval
Milk Production (First Lactation)
lactation ± SE cow-1 ±SE ± SE ± SE
C. nlemfuensis + L. leucocephala Association
2215.3± 107.32 7.1±1.11 172.76±38.01 454.17± 38.11
with 6350 trees ha-1 and 1 kg of molasses
Native pastures + L. leucocephala Association
1652.1±98.87 5.2±0.87 232.79±23.19 500.20± 23.21
with 3440 trees ha-1 and 1 kg of concentrate
C. nlemfuensis + L. leucocephala Association
2501.3± 120.39 8.0±1.03 147.26±24.19 427.29± 25.02
with 5480 trees ha-1 and 2 kg of concentrate
P. maximum in monoculture and 3 kg of concentrate 1907.5± 101.15 6.2±0.98 229.48±38.81 512.34± 39.03
Daily Weight Gain (gr-1day-1animal-1)
Beef Production (Fattening young cattle)
Rainy season Dry season
C. nlemfuensis + L. leucocephala Association
642 499
with 14298 trees ha-1 and without supplementation
Native pastures in monoculture and without
305 63
supplementation

9. MAIN FINDINGS
Raining season Dry season
Agroecosystems ME CP ME CP
(MJ) (g) (MJ) (g)
C. nlemfuensis + L. leucocephala Association with 6350 trees ha-1
- 2.05 + 470.8 - 6.32 + 208.8
and 1 kg of molasses
Native pastures + L. leucocephala Association with 3440 trees ha-1
- 13.48 + 259.5 - 17.20 + 57.5
and 1 kg of concentrate
C. nlemfuensis + L. leucocephala Association with 5480 trees ha-1
+ 2.59 + 562.5 - 2.59 + 187.5
and 2 kg of concentrate
P. maximum in monoculture and 3 kg of concentrate - 4.56 - 112.8 + 6.95 - 296.8
C. nlemfuensis+ L. leucocephala Association with 14298 trees ha-1
- 2.9 + 619. 36 - 9.9 + 97.4
and without supplementation
Native pastures in monoculture and without supplementation - 18.8 - 130.3 - 29.2 - 210.17
* Biannual average animal-1 day-1 ME = Metabolisable Energy, C P= Crude Protein

10. Why Agroforestry is an option to foster SLM?
Hydric
Biodiversity balance
Comfort for
animals, plants
Wood for living & farmers
fences, building,
tools
Feed for
Carbon storage animals
& sequestration
AGROFORESTRY
(Reinoso, 2000; Simón, 2006; Cino et al., 2011)

11. POLICY ORIENTED RECOMMENDATIONS
 Livestock development policies, mainly in dry sub-humid and semi-arid
areas, should provide economic incentives and regulatory mechanisms to
promote (and even force) tree planting in spatiotemporal designs -
within the Agroforestry concept -, enhancing , in first instance, the
beneficial interactions of trees with other components of the soil-plant-
animal complex.
 National and local stakeholders involved in designing and implementing
payment mechanisms for environmental services should consider
Agroforestry as a viable practice of SLM which not only stop land
degradation and desertification, but also enhance the protection of other
natural resources. Then, land users could receive additional revenue.

12. CONCLUSIONS
 The implementation of silvopastoral systems - mainly with L.
leucocephala - in fragile livestock agroecosystems constitute a viable
Agroforestry alternative to achieve a Sustainable Land Management and,
consequently, to improve animal´s nutritional status and productive
performance.
 Farms managed under Agroforestry systems, with a tree density between
5000-6500 trees ha-1 and a limited level of supplementation, can achieve
a milk yield of 7-8 kg cow-1 day-1 and a daily gain around 500-640 gr day-1,
which are higher as compared to deforested agroecosystems.
 Under conditions of the present study, tree densities below 5000 trees
ha-1 have not benefit on the foliage production and soil fertility. While,
tree densities higher than 14000 trees ha-1 cause an excess of shadow
affecting the botanical composition of the herbaceous strata.