Promoting deforestation-free rural development

Context

Colombia is a particularly biodiverse country, but many forest areas areaffected by land-use change. This has negative consequences for biodiversity, the environment and greenhouse gas emissions. In particular, extensive cattle husbandry is primarily responsible for land use change and deforestation in the project region.

Colombia has pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50 per cent and ending gross deforestation by 2030. The shift towards sustainable cattle husbandry is therefore essential.

Objective

Actors in public, private and civil society are empowered to promote deforestation-free rural development with a focus on sustainable cattle husbandry.

Approach

The project runs both on a national level as well as in the regions of Caquetá and Meta, and it promotes deforestation-free cattle husbandry. To achieve this, it implements a strategy in which it develops the skills of public, private and civil society stakeholders. The project:

• improves production and marketing in the dairy and meat industries through technical assistance and consulting;
• strengthens the capabilities of actors along the value chain so that they can integrate sustainability criteria and practices into their production systems and marketing policies;
• supports operational and technical capabilities for sustainable and deforestation-free cattle husbandry by developing and applying strategies for the dairy and meat industry;
• improves regulatory framework, including a standardised traceability system for meat and dairy products, in order to promote sustainable and deforestation-free rural development;
• raises awareness among end consumers to buy verified deforestation-free products.

The programme explicitly promotes women’s participation in cattle husbandry and involves them in the project activities. The project works together with GOPA Worldwide Consultants GmbH.

Last update: February 2024