Integrated crop-livestock-forestry system in mountain environment
Fazenda Santa Mônica – Embrapa Dairy Cattle
28th June, 2025 - Valença, RJ
The buses will leave Rio de Janeiro early and return at the end of the day.
Further details about the travel logistics will be available later.
Venue:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/BsxSYZHyLeEErh2f6 (3.5 hours by bus)
Ecosystem: Atlantic Forest
Predominant soil types of the region [WRB (SiBCS)]: mixture of Lixisols (Argissolos), Cambisols (Cambissolos), Leptosols (Neossolos Litólicos) and Ferralsols (Latossolos)
Climate: CWa - hot summer with significant rainfall and cooler, drier winter
Content of the field day: Technical presentation of technologies, research activities and results as described below. The presentation will be divided into 4 parts (4 areas) within the farm, among which groups of 25 people will be rotated.
Part 1: Agrosilvipastoral system (crop-livestock integration) under low and high-density tree cover
Marcelo Mueller – Forest Science; Embrapa Dairy Cattle
Content: Presentation of prototypes of the low- and high-density tree systems and their implementation, the benefits of the system for the environment and for the farmer: microclimate, biological activity of the soil (enzymes), nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, soil structure and water regulation (infiltration and water storage), provision of wood, milk and forage.
Part 2: Agrosilvipastoral system (crop-livestock integration) with legume-tree species
Inácio de Barros – Plant Nutrition; Embrapa Dairy Cattle
Content: Description and purpose of the production system, with emphasis on the ecosystem services that native leguminous species bring to it, which compensate for the lower production of biomass and wood. Biological N2 fixation potential of legumes.
Part 3: Soil structure and biological activity under integrated crop-livestock-forestry system
Fabiano Balieiro – Soil Science; Embrapa Soils
Guilherme Donnagemma – Agronomy; Embrapa Soils
Content: Soil profiles will be presented to demonstrate the distribution of plant roots at three distances from the tree lines, monoliths to present the structure of a soil with good and deteriorated physical quality. The relationship between soil structure and biological activity will be explained. The C stocks of the livestock-forest integration system will be compared to data on C stocks of pastures at different levels of degradation in the municipality.
Part 4: Soil carbon dynamics under integrated crop-livestock-forestry system
Bruno J. R. Alves – Agronomy; Embrapa Agrobiology
Content: Crop-livestock-forest integration systems and their variations in the country will be explained as an efficient strategy for soil C sequestration, increasing system efficiency (land sparing), and conserving biodiversity (land sharing).
