Silvopastoral Heirs: Sustainable Cattle Ranching and Ecological Restoration

Sustainable cattle ranching and ecological restoration create new opportunities for rural livelihoods and biodiversity conservation in Latin America. However, the continuity of both efforts depends on generational exchange. Technical knowledge and shared values are essential for empowering new generations to assume their role as stewards of the land.
This workshop is aimed at the children of leading sustainable cattle farmers in Colombia and other Latin American countries. This generation of Silvopastoral Heirs must advance in the integration of tree-based ranching with conservation and ecological restoration. Field activities will take place at Los Chagualos, a pilot farm that applies the principles of agroecology to sustainable ranching.

We will present some theoretical and practical aspects of restoration integrated to silvopastoral systems and explore the role of folk music in rural sustainability. The workshop will contribute to strengthen a network for knowledge exchange among young farmers. After the workshop, all participants will attend the IV International Agroecological Restoration field course at El Hatico Nature Reserve, an estate that has been managed by nine generations of a single family and is an international reference for sustainable production. The Agroecological Restoration course is organized jointly by ELTI, CIPAV and SOCLA (Latin American Society for Agroecology).