Benefits of the integrated agricultural production system

sistema integrado de produção agropecuária

Over the years, new ways of thinking about production in the agricultural sector are increasingly sought, aiming at economic and sustainable processes. To meet this demand, the use of an integrated agrarian production system offers ideal solutions for these two pillars.

Based on the diversification and integration of different production systems, the productive and economic advantages already attract many rural producers. Thus, agriculture, livestock, and forest systems coexist in the same productive area, sharing the benefits mutually.

The division of production areas and their rotation during a given period intensifies the soil nutrient cycle, improving productivity and yield.

To better understand, let’s look at the operation and application of this practice.

Discover the possible combinations of the integrated agricultural production system

The integrated agricultural production system can cover four different combinations, taking into account a variety of possible scenarios.

The highlight is the agropastoral system, characterized by crop-livestock. By far, this is the most used in Brazil. It is estimated that 83% of the country’s crops already operate in this way.

Second, Agrossilvipastoril has been attracting more attention. This crop-livestock-forest combination is responsible for 9% of cases in the sector.

We also highlight Silvipastoril, combining forest with livestock to bring mutual benefits, adding up to 7% and Silviagrícola (crop-forest), still with only 1%.

sistema integrado de produção agropecuária

Although the integrated system is still a timid novelty in some cases, the demand is growing and is diversified, as we have seen. With it, we show that there are productive ways to combine sustainability with the economy, rethinking the way agricultural production takes place in the Brazilian scenario.

Understand its main applications and benefits

When combined with the no-till system, the integrated system in agriculture adds even more benefits in terms of income and sustainability. Although it adds value to the processes, its implementation cannot be done in any way. It is necessary to follow basic principles, such as:

  • Take care to correct the acidity of the soil;
  • Opt for root system rotation, adapting crop rotation planning efficiently;
  • Improve soil fertility;
  • Manage the cutting/grazing height, occupation days, rest and other issues that involve grazing;
  • Target the use of improved genotypes, both of plants and animals.

With these requirements in mind, it is much easier to succeed in your integrated production system. Thus, natural resources and energy are conserved, intensifying land use, and considerably reducing the need to transform areas of native vegetation for livestock production or even agriculture.

Know where this type of technology can be adopted

Following the basic principles previously mentioned, the integrated agricultural production system can be adopted in any agricultural and livestock property. In Brazil, the system is already used on a larger scale in several features of dairy and beef cattle, but also of sheep farming.

In these properties, the profit can increase due to the reduction of the cost of animal production and the increase in the yield of the different grain crops. This yield is largely due to the improvements derived from this dynamic of nutrient input and cycling, crop rotation, and elevation of the physical and biological attributes of the soil.

As a result, it is possible to offer more profitable agricultural production in the three main segments: environmental, economic, and social. The integration of various agricultural and zootechnical practices is a smart way to share improvements, promoting healthier and more integrated production. It is the real way to encourage changes that increase the power of the agricultural output in Brazil