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SLC Agrícola invests in Crop-Livestock Integration to increase productivity and reduce carbon footprint

In order to continue its efforts to increase the production of grains and fibers in a sustainable way, SLC Agrícola operates in the Crop-Livestock Integration (ILP) with a combination of initiatives and strategies in order to contribute to increasing crop productivity, in addition to expand the positive environmental impacts by increasing the absorption of carbon by the soil, via an increase in the levels of organic matter.

Gustavo Lunardi, Operations Director, highlights that the investment made by SLC Agrícola in Crop-Livestock Integration, from 2017 to 2021, totals around R$3.7 million. The practice is carried out on 9,700 hectares (less than 1% of the company's total cultivated area), on 10 farms in the states of Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Bahia and Maranhão.

"The first unit to have the ILP was Fazenda Planorte, in Sapezal (MT). The aim was to make sandy areas viable, obtaining greater productivity after a year of grazing brachiaria, as this grass recycles nutrients in the soil profile, contributes organic matter to the system, in addition to being food for cattle. Another important point is to optimize the use of the structure of the farms, diversify activities and sources of income", details Lunardi.

With the Santa Fé System, a strategy was set up, prioritizing areas for corn cultivation in the second harvest. In this way, the cattle graze the remaining forage after harvest. This strategy allows for fattening the animals and increasing the fertility of the land, taking into account the deposition of organic nutrients. Thus, the animals follow the flow of the production chain after the sale.

A series of small adjustments were carried out on the properties where the ILP was implemented, such as the construction of fences forming the pickets for rotation, production of feeder bars, drinking fountains and the acquisition or rental of equipment for mixing and supplying the feed. As well as hiring a veterinarian to coordinate activities and training for employees.

Among the positive returns of the Crop-Livestock Integration is the increase of more than R$ 32 million in the company's total revenue and the improvement in the physical, chemical and biological conditions of the soil on the properties. “The straw and animal excrement promote an excellent nutrient cycling, with an increase in organic carbon in the soil, bringing greater sustainability, with a more stable environment and greater productive potential in soybean, corn and cotton crops”, explains Lunardi.

This system, together with other actions taken by SLC Agrícola, raised production levels to figures above the average for Brazilian agribusiness in the 2020/21 harvest. Soybeans registered an increase of 15.4% and corn second crop 34.4%, both in relation to the national average.

For the next few years, the company plans to expand the practice to other properties. "With the maturing of the projects and the strengthening of partnerships with suppliers and clients in this segment we will continue to grow our crop-livestock integration, generating more revenue per physical hectare and, at the same time, making our productive system more sustainable in the environmental, social, and financial spheres," he concludes.

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