Reconversion ambiental

RECONVERSION AMBIENTAL Y SOCIAL DE
LA GANADERIA BOVINA EN COLOMBIA
Enrique Murgueitio R

Fundación CIPAV
enriquem@cipav.org.co
Summary
This document tries to establish the most relevant aspects for the transformation of
cattle raising in Colombia, emphasizing social and environmental issues. Currently,
cattle raising occupies most deforested lands in a country worldly known for itsbiodiversity, and that at the same time experiences a deep social crisis characterized by
violence, unfair distribution of resources (land, wealth and knowledge) and lack of
opportunity for the rural sector. A wide variety of production systems as well as
mechanisms of territorial control, with cultural roots inherited five centuries ago from
the Spanish conquerors, is included under thedenomination of "cattle raising".

The diversity of situations, social actors and environmental impacts involved in cattle
raising, must be recognized in order to transform the current systems into activities
compatible with socioeconomic development and the protection of nature. Cattle raising
can be divided in two broad classes.

The first of these includes all systems in which cattle and thebusiness derived from it
constitute the main economic motivation. Within this class, there is significant
variation in: gross primary productivity (30 to 300 tons of green biomass/hectare per
year), nutritional quality of this material (4% to 12% of protein content and 30% to
60% digestibility), carrying capacity (10 hectares per animal to 10 animals per hectare),
meat production (100 to 2000kilograms of live weight/hectare per year) and milk
production (500 to 12,000 liters/hectare per year). Cattle birth rates waver between
40% and 90%. Size of land holdings fluctuates between 0.5 and more than 500,000
hectares. Wide genetic diversity exists in both cattle and forage.
The environmental impact of these systems varies between absolute and irreversible soil
erosion and partialrehabilitation of degraded ecosystems. Social actors include
entrepreneurs, small farmers (campesinos), colonos and indigenous people. Per capita
income ranges between less that $1000 (US dollars) and more than $500,000 per year,
and income periodicity, from two years in extensive grazing to one week in milk
production. Employment generation varies between one per 200 hectares and more than
two perhectare. Associated social conflict goes from active participation in the armed
struggle to true examples of community organization and social participation
(Murgueitio and Calle, 1998).

Many of these systems require technological and entrepreneurial change in order to
reduce negative impacts on soil, water and native vegetation. Cattle raising must be
intensified through the intelligentuse of local resources (natural and human) adapted to
each agroecosystem. The following aspects are important: agroforestry (mixed forage
and tree cultivation, in this context); biological corridors; protection of water sources;
forage bushes and trees; strategic supplementation; efficient animal production and
reproduction; higher prices for farmers through co-operative or associativecommercialization of products; genetic improvement of cattle based on crosses between
native, European and Zebu breeds; local and regional transformation of products;
integration with forestry and agriculture, use of urban and agricultural residues and
by-products, and recycling of nutrients and organic matter.

Land speculation is the main objective of the other class of cattle raising activity.Buying and selling of lands is stimulated through valorization related to infrastructure,
urban expansion (Gómez L J, 1993) or opportunity business linked to money
laundering (Bejarano, J, 1988). More than a production system, this class of cattle
raising activity is a land occupation strategy, not only with economic aims but also as a
means to exert political influence (Molano A, 1990) and...