Dual-Purpose Water Buffalo Production Systems in Tropical Latin America: Bases for a Sustainable Model

Tropical regions of Latin America have been incorporated into development in recent decades, with extensive cattle ranching as one of the main economic activities but without adequate planning, drastically degrading the ecosystem. In recent years, buffalo production has been incorporated into the re...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Animals (Basel) 2021-10, Vol.11 (10), p.2910
Main Authors: Bertoni, Aldo, Álvarez-Macías, Adolfo, Mota-Rojas, Daniel, Dávalos, José Luis, Minervino, Antonio Humberto Hamad
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation
agrosilvopastoral
Animal species
Biodiversity
Calves
Cattle
Climate change
Dairy cattle
Dairy products
Drought
dual purpose systems
Ecosystems
Grazing
Humidity
integral management
Literature reviews
Livestock
Meat
Milk
Natural resources
Pastoralism
Precipitation
Rain
Ranching
Review
river buffalo
Rotational grazing
Sustainability
Sustainable development
Thermoregulation
Tropical environment
Tropical environments
tropics
Vegetation
Water availability
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Summary:Tropical regions of Latin America have been incorporated into development in recent decades, with extensive cattle ranching as one of the main economic activities but without adequate planning, drastically degrading the ecosystem. In recent years, buffalo production has been incorporated into the region, with possibilities for development in profitable and sustainable models. To study this option in depth, a broad bibliographic review was carried out focusing on the ecological characteristics of tropical zones and the physiological and productive characteristics of buffaloes. We also investigated the structure and functioning of dual-purpose systems that have worked in cattle and that can be optimized with this alternative animal species. The possibility of taking sustainable advantage of abundant forage resources in the region was detected through intensive grazing models, as well as agrosilvopastoral systems, due to the gregarious qualities of buffaloes and responding to their thermoregulation needs. In this way, the productive and regenerative capacities of the dual-purpose system could be increased, as well as the quality of meat and milk, which could be marketed as differentiated products, taking advantage of their outstanding nutritional qualities. Integral management of the dual-purpose system is proposed, retaking the bases of the original model of family characters, diversified and with low investments and risks, which with specific innovations can be an effective development option for producers in the region.
ISSN:2076-2615
2076-2615
DOI:10.3390/ani11102910