Already, mixed production systems generate close to 50% of the world’s cereals and most of the staples consumed by poor people: 41% of maize, 86% of rice, 66% of sorghum, and 74% of millet production. They also produce the bulk of livestock products in the developing world, that is, 75% of the milk and 60% of the meat, and employ many millions of people in farms,
formal and informal markets, processing plants, and other parts of long value chains. Recognizing that 9 billion people will need to be provided for in a sustainable way by the year 2050, participants of the Sete Lagoas Consultation on integrated crop-livestock-tree systems for sustainable development (IC-LSD) reached consensus that small and medium scale farmers, in particular, can meaningfully benefit and contribute to food and nutritional security and sustainable development through improved production intensification, environmental quality and livelihoods.
Integrated crop-livestock system (IC-LSD), implying a diverse range of integrated ecological, biophysical, socio economic conditions, have been a foundation of agriculture for hundreds of years. In recent decades, there have been practical innovations that harness synergies between the production sectors of crops, livestock and agroforestry that ensure economic and ecological sustainability while providing ecosystem services. IC-LS increase environmental resilience through increased biological diversity, effective/efficient nutrient cycling/recycling, improved soil health, provide ecosystem services, enhance forest preservation and contribute to adaptation and mitigation of climate change. Within the economic and production dimension, the IC-LS enhance livelihood diversification and potentially efficiency through optimization of production inputs including labour, offer resilience to economic stresses, and reduce risks. From a socio-cultural perspective, these systems are meant to assist farmers to diversify and meet their livelihood aspirations, ensure equitable social dynamics, particularly for elders, women and youth, and increase nutrition security and food safety while meeting consumer choice and demand.