- The Alliance for Regenerative Livestock Production in the Peruvian Amazon (AGRAP) is a community of practice that designs, implements, monitors and communicates actions in the livestock production chain based on a shared vision.
- The seminar brought together national and international representatives, public policy makers and livestock producers.
The impact of informal and expansive activities in the Peruvian Amazon is undeniable, and they are leaving a clear footprint on the effects of climate change, biodiversity, local communities and food security. Worryingly, according to MINAM (2023) 47.9% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions affecting the country come from deforestation, largely driven by agricultural activities. In this sense, a productive reconversion of Amazonian livestock towards regenerative and deforestation-free systems will contribute to the restoration of ecosystems and, in turn, improve the quality and competitiveness of Amazonian livestock.
Under the traditional development model in the Peruvian Amazon, cattle ranching is generally extensive, which generates significant pressure on the forests. In the case of Madre de Dios, a region that makes up approximately 15.3% of the Peruvian Amazon, it is estimated that more than 50,000 hectares are used for extensive cattle ranching, which is one of the main causes of deforestation and GHG emissions (GOREMAD, 2021). Furthermore, alarmingly, in the south of this region, the impact of agricultural expansion surpassed gold mining in 2021.
The Sustainable Livestock Seminar was held in Lima, Peru, on Thursday, May 18, with the aim of creating opportunities to address these issues. It brought together more than 70 participants from government, business and civil society organizations linked to livestock and livestock supply chains, with operations in the Peruvian Amazon. Among the speakers were representatives such as:
Juan Paredes Ríos , Vice Governor of the Huánuco region. Marco Enciso, Director General for Livestock of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MIDAGRI)Ivan Mena, Director of Insurance and Promotion of Agricultural Financing at MIDAGRI, and Maggie Charnley, Head of International Forest Unit, representing the British Embassy in Peru. Also noteworthy were the contributions of international attendees of the Global Roundtable on Sustainable Meat, such as Alfred Fast, President of the Paraguayan Meat Table and Victor Magallanes, Facilitator for the Bolivian Sustainable Meat Board.
An important highlight of the seminar was the presentation of the Alliance for Regenerative Livestock Production (AGRAP) developed within the framework of the Coalition for Sustainable Production. AGRAP is a community of practice that designs, implements, monitors and communicates actions in the livestock production chain based on a shared vision.
AGRAP has the challenge of improving quality and sustainability (for example, through regenerative attributes and deforestation-free production); recognizing the potential and dynamics of the landscape where the activity is developed and promoting the improvement of the well-being of the local producer and the production chain. AGRAP is currently made up of civil society, private sector and government actors, such as: Frigorífico Manu, Mafrox, MTG; Climate Group, Tropical Forest Alliance (TFA), Earth Innovation Institute, Earth Innovation Institute, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Conservation International (CI) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation of Peru (MIDAGRI).
Presentation of case studies and best practices to strengthen regenerative livestock farming
"The Paraguayan Meat Roundtable has more than 40 members. It is a private, non-profit organization that brings together the links in the meat chain and also members of civil society, as well as academia, the public sector and international cooperation agencies. The initial challenges are to build trust, because producers have a very different vision from that of a civil society organization. We have to work together and see how we can work on sustainability, always in a balance between economic, social and environmental aspects. We must communicate what is done well and disseminate successful models. Sustainable change is the result of a process in which we respect the environment and animal welfare, and still make money." - Alfred Fast, President Paraguayan Meat Board
The seminar also included an important presentation by Víctor Magallanes, representing the Mesa Boliviana de Carne Sustentable (Bolivian Roundtable for Sustainable Meat). He also presented the case of his institution and the main challenges facing the Bolivian sector.
"Per capita consumption in Bolivia is 21 kilos per person. The growth projection of the livestock sector is interesting from the perspective of the productive sector; how do we make this growth possible with sustainability criteria; that is why we have set out to identify everything that is happening in our landscape, what initiatives are being carried out and what is accepted by our sector. In the case of Bolivia, there have been initiatives that have worked beyond financing and have worked unilaterally. What could differentiate us from the market? Most of Bolivia is in natural conditions and this could guarantee that livestock production is carried out in harmony with natural resources" Víctor Magallanes, Bolivian Meat Board.
During the afternoon, a workshop led by TFA was held between representatives of the member regions of the Amazon Regional Commonwealth, the Peruvian Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation and other members of the Alliance for Regenerative Livestock in the Peruvian Amazon (AGRAP). The space exposed the inputs for an AGRAP action plan and the exchange of information to promote competitiveness and sustainability of the value chain, the following topics were productivity improvement, market development, traceability, enabling conditions, monitoring and knowledge management.
