155 Case study – Silvopastoral systems in Colombia Project approach The project facilitated the implementation of SPS across Colombian farms and tested whether SPS could contribute towards more sustainable agriculture, building on previous SPS pilot projects led by the World Bank. SPS approaches involve planting trees, shrubs and fodder crops on grazing land in ways that increase and preserve tree cover, enhance carbon dioxide sequestration, improve biodiversity and soil quality, and increase livestock productivity. UK funding was used to establish a new payment for ecosystem services (PES) scheme that paid farmers for carbon capture resulting from the implementation of SPS. This complimented an already established PES scheme that paid for measurable increases in biodiversity. UK funding was used to provide technical assistance to farmers, through an extended network of demonstration farms, and to subsidise the cost of seedlings, trees and organic fertilisers, to facilitate the conversion of land to SPS. Impacts of the project were continuously monitored and evaluated to improve the evidence base for SPS, and results were disseminated to different stakeholder groups. Programme data was used by the Government of Colombia when establishingan enhanced national sustainable cattle-ranching target. Project outcomes The highlights of the interventions were as follows: Enabled the conversion of over 38,000 ha of degraded cattle pasture to SPS. Enhanced livelihoods on 4,100 farms through technical assistance, PES or the establishment of seed nurseries. Mitigated over 1.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent within the project’s lifespan. Milk productivity per ha increased by 17% on average across participant farms, and livestock carrying capacity increased by 23% on average. Farm incomes increased by up to $523 (USD)/ha/year, exceeding estimates by up to $70 (USD) /ha/year. As SPS adoption increased, biodiversity also increased, as measured though the Environmental Services Index. A landscape evaluation of biodiversity identified a 32% increase in bird populations and a 47% increase in beetle populations in the intervention areas. Enhanced landscape connectivity generated by SPS provided critical mobility for 65% of monitored species. The project influenced the doubling of the sustainable livestock target in the 2018-2022 Colombian National Development Plan. Lessons learnt SPS techniques are effective: Intervention areas demonstrated improvements in carbon storage and biodiversity, but implementation may be hindered by a lack of labour, seeds, or severe weather. Unforeseen trade-offs: Whilst SPS can deliver wins for climate, biodiversity and poverty reduction simultaneously, there is a partial trade-off between these objectives. This project found that maximising the spatial extent of SPS conversion can conflict with maximising poverty reduction objectives, when funding is limited. Financial incentives may not outweigh upfront costs: Whilst PES schemes incentivised environmental stewardship on many farms, prohibitive upfront costs hindered large-scale change. Multi-partner challenges: Unaligned decision-making and administrative processes delayed crucial aspects of the project, such as early payments to farmers. Sustainability and legacy of project The project has enhanced the evidence base for SPS and contributed to the establishmentof several publicly accessible knowledge products and SPS training platforms that have since been mainstreamed into the agricultural sector. Survey data indicates that farmers included inthe project are expanding SPS conversion on their farms, and neighbours are replicating their efforts. The project has contributed to transformational change in the livestock sector by inspiring the Colombian Government to adopt more ambitious sustainable cattle ranching targets and providing potential to scale-up SPS across Colombia. Further information: https://devtracker.fcdo.gov.uk/projects/GB-GOV-13-ICF-0020-SPS Diagram of the NbS interactions showing that silvopastoral systems provide benefits for biodiversity, livelihoods and climate change mitigation. Soil nutrient cycling Nitrogen fixation and carbon sequestration Improved pasturewith woody species Livestockmanure Improved livestock nutrition and productivity Climate change mitigation Watershed forestprotection Biodiversityconservation Return to Principles