Managua, November 2018. – Approximately 700 cattle producers from six municipalities in the northern and central areas of Nicaragua (Matiguás, Muy Muy, Matagalpa, San José de los Remates, Boaco and Camoapa) will participate in trainings on intensive and sustainable silvopastoral practices to improve both milk productivity and milk quality while also building resilience in the face of climate change.
To achieve this alliance, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), TechnoServe and Grupo LALA Nicaragua established a strategic alliance to develop the project “Resilient Central America (ResCA)“, which will be executed by TechnoServe Nicaragua with the technical support of the Research Center on Sustainable Systems for Agricultural Protection, (CIPAV), from Colombia.
“Grupo LALA, as a leading company in milk industrialization in Nicaragua, supports all initiatives that help milk producers, our business partners, to increase their productivity, profitability, and sustainability. In addition, with the implementation of silvopastoral systems we expect milk production to be more constant during the year, “said Manuel Oliver, Country Director for Grupo LALA in Nicaragua.
Grupo LALA is interested in the producer seeing their farm as a business in which, with the implementation of more efficient practices, he or she will obtain better results and more productivity.
The primary objective of ResCA Nicaragua is to improve the production and quality of milk through silvopastoral systems with which sustainable and environmentally friendly cattle ranching is promoted. “Silvopastoral systems contribute to the conservation of soil, water, and improve the environment for cattle by increasing their productivity and strengthening their resilience in the face of climate change,” explained Horacio Rodríguez Vázquez, Coordinator of Climate and Food Security for Latin America, for TNC.
Rodriguez added that “pastures become degraded by poor pasture management, low soil fertility, lack of genetic variability, high temperatures, excess water in the rainy season and a lack of water in dry season as well as poor nutritional supplementation which results in low productivity. The vast majority of farmers have yields of approximately 3.5 liters of milk per cow per day. “
“The participating producers, who provide milk to cooperatives in Boaco and Matagalpa around the Nicaraguan “milk route (via lactea)”, will manage 35 model farms where silvopastoral systems will be established with the objective of increasing milk productivity by 15 percent and contributing to the environment,” explained Ignacio Vélez, ResCA Program Representative for TechnoServe Nicaragua.
In addition to the transfer of best silvopastoral practices through a monthly training in a model farm, the project consists of three other guidelines: business advice for dairy cooperatives to establish resilience plans for climate change; sectoral support to promote silvopastoral systems, and the management of access to financing for which farmers could cover their up-front investments in these systems.
Nicaragua was chosen as a pilot country due to the importance of the cattle sector and the high potential of impact that can be generated with producers that implement these silvo-pastoral systems, which have been successfully scaled across Latin America.
TechnoServe and CIPAV began the implementation of the project in May 2018 and will continue executing this project for 27 months, until August 2020.
“The participating producers, who provide milk to cooperatives in Boaco and Matagalpa around the Nicaraguan “milk route (via lactea)”, will manage 35 model farms where silvopastoral systems will be established with the objective of increasing milk productivity by 15 percent and contributing to the environment”
About LALA:
Grupo LALA, (“Grupo LALA” or “LALA”) (BMV: LALA B) is a Mexican company focused on the industry of natural and healthy foods, with more than 66 years of experience in the production, innovation and marketing of milk, derivatives dairy products and beverages under the highest quality standards, for which it has been awarded the National Agrifood Award, which recognizes the culture of the total quality of companies in Mexico. LALA operates 22 production plants and 165 distribution centers in Mexico, Central America and the United States, and has the support of more than 33,000 employees.
About TNC:
The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable. Working in 72 countries, we use a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit www.nature.org or follow @nature_press on Twitter.
Media Contacts
Francis García Kreimann
Corporate Communications Ketchum – Nicaragua
fgarcia@cckcentroamerica.com / Tel. +505-2270-4412
Jesse Festa
Communications ResCA – The Nature Conservancy
jesse.festa@tnc.org / Tel. +52-1-55-5661-1153 x 30114
