Mr. Dolores Solís, a farmer in Los Asientos, Panama, is part of an organisation that is transforming the Panamanian ranching sector by promoting the use of sustainable practices.

Although small in territory, Panama is a country of immense natural wealth: great biodiversity, abundant water resources, rich soil, and huge tracts of tropical forests. However, these vital natural resources require careful management and use in order to prevent environmental degradation.

Heart and Soul
Treasured as Panama's cultural heart and soul, the Azuero Peninsula is a farming and ranching hub, and the largest cattle-producing region in the country. The rolling hills of the peninsula are matched by an inviting coastline. Over time, the peninsula has seen dramatic transformations – from verdant rainforest to cattle country, from sleepy backwater to one of Panama’s most popular travel destinations.

In the Azuero Peninsula, a tropical dry forest – one of the most endangered ecosystems in the South American biogeographic region - the negative consequences of extensive conventional cattle ranching are evident. Deforestation and soil degradation have further impaired ecosystem services, such as clean water and soil nutrition, necessary to support ranching and agricultural livelihoods.
In addition, the extreme rainfall and drought associated with climate change further compound the stresses of unsustainable land use practices, and make restoring the ecosystem particularly challenging. Nevertheless, advances in forest restoration and farming systems have enhanced the production and provision of ecosystem services in cattle ranching landscapes.

In particular, the establishment of silvopastoral systems has been beneficial for the region. Silvopastoral farming, now also known as agroforestry, is the practice of combining woodlands and pastures symbiotically. Perhaps the oldest agroforestry system used in the temperate regions of the world, silvopastoral systems are characterised by integrating trees with forage and livestock production. Such systems have the potential to increase agricultural production in the long term.
Silvopastoral systems promote mosaic land use by integrating trees, forage shrubs, and livestock production. This mix of different activities, including planting trees and shrubs around crop and livestock harvesting, provide the necessary goods for local needs, while alleviating pressure on natural forests. However, until now these practices were virtually absent from and forgotten in the Panamanian landscape, mostly due to a lack of information and incentives available to cattle ranchers. ......

Contagious
In 2016 and 2017, in partnership with the Environmental Leadership & Training Initiative (ELTI), APAPSE conducted workshops on Ecological Restoration Strategies for Cattle Ranching Landscapes of the Azuero Peninsula, thereby effectively disseminating their knowledge and experiences to other decision-makers by facilitating farmer-to-farmer exchanges on model farms.

A remarkable consequence of the use of silvopastoral systems is the increase in biodiversity when compared with pasture-only systems. The presence of shrubs and trees greatly increases cover for wild birds, mammals and reptiles.
The greater range of plants and soil fertility also increases the number of insects and invertebrates that are beneficial for farming. The majority of Los Santos farmers accentuate silvopastoralism with production of food crops such as corn, plantains and bananas, and yucca.

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