Sustainable Livestock Practices in the Humid Chaco

The project aims to strengthen livestock production systems in the Humid Chaco (Bajos Submeridionales of Santa Fé province) through the piloting and implementation of livestock management practices that improve forage productivity without compromising the conservation of native grasslands and species. In particular, it proposes interventions in selected paddocks through water-retention earthworks (bunds) to increase surface water availability, encourage the replacement of low-forage-value grasslands with more productive herbaceous communities, and evaluate the effects on vegetation and forage supply. The initiative is framed within a collaboration between INTA and Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina, combining demonstration trials, field monitoring, technical analysis, training and outreach activities, with the goal of generating locally relevant evidence for producers and technicians in the region. Expected results: 10,000 additional hectares of savanna and grassland ecosystems under sustainable management within the intervention area. This is part of a larger project financed by IKI, "Safeguarding Overlooked Ecosystems: Protect, Manage and Restore Grasslands and Savannahs in Argentina, Colombia and Paraguay."