Diverse strategies for integration of forestry and livestock production

Global changes in land use and increased forestry plantations have reduced the livestock area in Uruguay, and silvopastoral systems have recently emerged. This paper aimed to quantify these new systems, and to identify the diversity of patterns of integration of forestry and livestock production. Based on detailed data from the 2011 Uruguay Census of Agriculture a multi dimensional scaling analysis was performed on land tenure, land use, livestock management, and socio-economic continuous and categorical variables, followed by a cluster analysis, which resulted in seven groups. The first four groups were primarily livestock farmers, with forests providing services to livestock farming, and timber production coming second in economic importance. These groups differ mainly in cattle orientation, land ownership and farm size. The other three groups were primarily foresters, with livestock grazing in their lands. These groups differ in the legal organization (individual foresters vs corporations), farm size, and integration with livestock. The identification of these contrasting strategies for integration can inform future research and policies for the sustainability of silvopastoral systems in the region.