Improving the Sustainability of Mesoamerican Livestock Farming and Climate Adaptation in Argentina
This CAD 5 million project aims to boost autonomy, resilience and equity among livestock farming families in specific regions of Mexico and Guatemala, with South-South technical cooperation from Argentina and Costa Rica. The 4-year project aims to benefit 800 families in Mexico and 500 in Guatemala, with a special focus on women, youth and indigenous groups, who are often disproportionately affected by climate change. Using a citizen science approach, the project seeks to empower local communities to improve sustainable livestock management practices and climate change adaptation, integrating remote sensing technology as a key tool to monitor and manage these challenges.
Objective:
Empower local communities to improve sustainable livestock management practices and climate change adaptation by integrating remote sensing technology.
Project Data:
NbS Data:
Country:
Argentina
5393-04
IICA Code:
Amount:
In progress
State:
2024
Start year:
2028
End year:
Yeah
NbS application:
How has IICA integrated SbN into this technical experience?
At IICA, we have integrated SbN through several components of the TeleGAN project:
- Participatory and territory-based diagnosis, which made it possible to identify existing sustainable local practices and adaptation needs, including grassland restoration, water source conservation, and the use of climate-adapted pastures.
- Remote sensing and citizen science, which support the monitoring of vegetation cover (NDVI, NDMI), soil moisture, and landscape changes, enabling informed decisions on sustainable land management.
- Technical training, including workshops on climate adaptation, good livestock practices, agroforestry, pasture rotation, and animal health with an ecosystem approach.
- Demonstration plots and field schools, where sustainable water and forage management practices are promoted, integrating ecological criteria.
What lessons learned from this technical experience can you share about collaborating with farmers to implement NbS?
One of the main lessons so far is that collaboration improves when local knowledge is recognized. Involving producers in participatory assessments and in the planning of sustainable practices has generated greater interest and openness towards NbS. We have also seen that these practices generate more enthusiasm when they are associated with concrete benefits, such as improving productivity or reducing costs, for example, through pasture rotation or water harvesting. Another important lesson is that in order for women to participate actively, gender barriers must be intentionally addressed. We have begun to do this with differentiated methodologies, flexible schedules, and safe spaces that take into account their reality.
What examples of innovation in NbS can you share from your experience at IICA in relation to this technical experience?
One of the main innovations we have promoted at TeleGAN is the use of satellite monitoring applied to livestock management and the planning of sustainable practices. This technology allows us to monitor vegetation cover and soil moisture (NDVI and NDMI indices), which makes it easier to identify degraded areas, plan pasture use, and design pasture rotation and recovery strategies, which are key practices within the NbS approach. In addition, we promote the integration of small livestock and women-led family gardens as complementary strategies for food security and productive diversification. Finally, we apply a citizen science approach, where producers themselves validate satellite information with field observations, strengthening local decision-making and technical empowerment of communities.
How are you promoting education and training in SfL among farmers in this technical experience?
The project has developed a progressive training strategy that integrates remote sensing as a cross-cutting theme in NbS education through practical training in the use of satellite images for on-farm decision-making, teaching producers to interpret vegetation and moisture maps to adjust their livestock practices in a sustainable manner.
We are also implementing Field Schools and demonstration plots where specific NBS practices are applied, such as rotational pasture management, grassland enrichment, tree integration, and water source conservation, using a learn-by-doing methodology and sharing lessons learned among peers.
We are also implementing a citizen science training program, training producers to collect field observations (georeferenced photos, records of vegetation, animal health, water availability, etc.), strengthening their role as active actors in the environmental monitoring of their territories.
A very important aspect is the mainstreaming of a gender perspective in all project activities, including inclusive field schools (with at least 30% participation of women) and demonstration plots led or co-led by women. Participatory, culturally relevant, and gender-sensitive methodologies are applied to ensure that women also have access to technical knowledge, strengthen their leadership, and actively participate in climate adaptation processes through their livestock practices, including small livestock farming and value-added product processing.