Chickpeas can be used in Crop-Livestock-Forest Integration (ILPF)

Still an incipient crop in Brazil, chickpeas, a legume rich in protein, can be an alternative for use in Crop-Livestock-Forest Integration (ILPF) systems, including by family farmers and medium-sized rural producers. This is what the field day held by Embrapa and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA) at Embrapa Hortaliças (DF) on July 15th, with the participation of 180 people, including rural producers, technicians, teachers and students showed. .

At the event site, an area of ​​13,5 ha that was without crops, Embrapa Cerrados (DF) and Embrapa Hortaliças implemented an ILPF system with chickpeas. “We are presenting a diversification alternative, mainly for the off-season”, explained Warley Nascimento, general manager of Embrapa Hortaliças. He paid tribute to Osmar Artiaga, a producer in Cristalina (GO), for his pioneering role in chickpea cultivation in the region.

Sebastião Pedro, general manager of Embrapa Cerrados, thanked the partnership with Embrapa Hortaliças and highlighted that the world is going through a unique moment, in which food production is the most important industry of humanity and, in this sense, Brazil materializes like a big barn. 

“With our climate and the breadth of land, we have the opportunity, by holding this field day, to show that we are moving agricultural and livestock production towards a sustainable model, using the soil in the best way possible. Here we have the opportunity to show the effect of ILPF as an alternative in sustainability, in low-carbon agriculture, and the chance to get to know chickpeas, which are part of a group of important crops that are pulses”, he stated.

Sustainable practices

Researcher Carlos Pacheco, from Embrapa Hortaliças, discussed, in the first technical station, the Direct Planting System (SPD), which promotes carbon sequestration and increases the resilience of crops, improving soil structure and reducing loss of water and nutrients. He reported that evaluations were started with chickpeas in the area with ILPF and in another area with SPD. “The idea is to bring this culture, which is being introduced in the country, into the context of low carbon emissions, making our agriculture more competitive and more sustainable”, he said, remembering that the SPD in vegetables was included in agriculture policies for low carbon emission.

Pacheco also presented the work on preparing the technical part of the Agricultural Climate Risk Zoning (ZARC) for chickpeas carried out by Embrapa. ZARC identifies, by ten-day period (10-day periods), the best planting times and periods of highest risk for planting, information that guides the granting of credit and agricultural insurance.

“It is a powerful risk management tool. We want to reduce the risk of crop loss due to environmental factors as much as possible. The idea is to guide both the producer and the financing body that will provide insurance on the relevant risks of the activity, such as water deficiency, the occurrence of very low temperatures, excessive rain at harvest and during the development of the crop, hail and windstorms. , and diseases that may have some correlation with the climate”, he explained, also mentioning the climatic variables, soil types and factors related to culture considered in the construction of the ZARC. The first version of ZARC for chickpeas is available at MAPA page, as well as in the application ZARC Right Planting.

João Nicanildo dos Santos, head of the Sustainable Technologies Promotion Division of MAPA's Secretariat for Innovation, Sustainable Development and Irrigation (SDI), spoke about low-carbon agriculture. He pointed out the different sustainable production systems, practices, products and processes that contribute to adapting Brazilian agriculture to climate change and the mitigation of greenhouse gases, with increased efficiency and resilience of production systems, through integrated management of landscape – practices for the recovery and renewal of degraded pastures, SPD, animal production waste management, planted forests, ILPF and agroforestry systems (SAFs), bioinputs, irrigated systems and intensive animal finishing.

“Among the benefits, in addition to greater carbon sequestration, there will be a reduction in deforestation, the recovery of production systems, with a reduction in erosion, greater water infiltration and soil conservation. And most importantly: we are contributing to the sustainability of agriculture, responsible for almost 30% of our GDP,” he said.

Advantages of integration systems

In the second technical station, researcher Luiz Adriano Maia Cordeiro and analyst Luiz Carlos Balbino, both from Embrapa Cerrados, presented the concept, modalities and benefits of ILPF systems. Crop-Livestock-Forest Integration is a sustainable production strategy, which integrates agricultural, livestock and/or forestry activities carried out in the same area in intercropped cultivation, in succession or crop rotation, constituting a single system. There are four possible types of integration: crop-livestock (ILP or agropastoral system), livestock-forest (IPF or silvopastoral system), crop-forest (ILF or silviagricultural system and SAFs) and crop-livestock-forest (ILPF or agroforestry system) . The area where the field day was held is currently in the silviagricultural stage, with chickpea crops and eucalyptus trees.

Cordeiro explained that the four modalities are subdivided into numerous systems. “There are several plant and animal species and an immense possibility of different arrangements and combinations with different components, in different regions. There are several system possibilities,” he said. He spoke about some ILP systems, the oldest modality adopted in Brazil, such as Barreirão, Santa Fé, Santa Brígida, São Mateus, Santa Ana System (pasture recovery with silage production), São Francisco (grass overseeding at the end of the soybean cycle), Gravataí and Boi safrinha, and with the forestry component, which have been more researched, validated and adopted in recent years.

The researcher explained how the silvopastoral system is implemented, in which tree seedlings must be isolated from animals by an electric fence in the first years of implementation, until they reach 6 cm in diameter at breast height (DBH). In the agroforestry system, the seedlings are surrounded by crops in the first two or three years, and only later by pastures and livestock. “The great advantage of agricultural activity in the first years is that it leaves fertilizer residues, which will be greatly used by forest species and subsequent pasture,” said Cordeiro. “In corn, for example, when fertilizing in broadcast coverage, there is always fertilizer left over for the eucalyptus. We noticed that the growth of eucalyptus in this system is much greater than in single planting”, added Balbino.

Among the various benefits of ILPF systems, the analyst highlighted the greater diversification and intensification of the use of the area, with greater sustainability; optimizing land use, with the production of grains, meat, milk and wood or non-timber products such as fruit; it is economically viable and cutting wood provides extra income; amortization of production costs, with crops and trees helping to pay for livestock farming and pasture recovery; better quality pasture and reduced costs of supplementing animal feed during drought; Trees (planted in an East-West direction in flat areas to reduce shading or following contour lines in places with slopes) function as windbreaks, reducing pasture dryness and improving water dynamics. 

Furthermore, there is a higher rate of infiltration and water storage in the soil; reduction in deforestation pressure; mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions by increasing soil carbon and carbon sequestration by biomass; animal welfare and thermal comfort through the shade of trees; reduced soil erosion due to better vegetation cover; mitigating forage deficits during climate stress; greater nutrient cycling; positive effect on animal reproduction and production, with increased weight gain and milk production; and, increased liquidity and profitability for rural producers.

They showed a study by Embrapa Agrossilvopastoril (Sinop, MT) that compared the stocking rate and weight gain per area of ​​a beef livestock system and ILP, IPF and ILPF systems with Brazilian averages. While in ILP and ILPF the stocking rate was around 3 animal units (AU)/ha, the national average is around 1 AU/ha. In terms of weight gain per area, ILPF obtained 35,6 @/ha/year and ILP 28,1 @/ha/year, while the country's average is only 6 @/ha/year. 

In research by Embrapa Cerrados carried out over two years in the ILPF area of ​​the Technology Center for Dairy Zebu Breeds (CTZL), it was shown how the shade of trees alleviates the effects of heat stress on dairy cattle. Gir cows produced 24% more milk in the ILPF system. In the initial lactation phase, Gir and Girolando cows produced 18% more milk in the ILPF and 17% more in the dry period. Although forage production was 22% lower at ILPF, the quality was better, with 30% more crude protein and 6% more digestibility. The animals had a 28% lower water consumption and a 22% longer rumination time, with the preference for grazing under the shade occurring 61% of the time. Furthermore, some reproductive indicators were higher in Gir cows in ILPF, such as a greater number of follicles, oocytes and viable embryos in the dry season.

According to Balbino and Cordeiro, the adoption of ILPF systems goes through seven stages: search for information and technical knowledge; market analysis for new agricultural, livestock and forestry products; diagnosis of the property’s infrastructure and workforce; technical and managerial training, preferably by hiring an experienced professional to provide technical assistance; medium and long-term planning; preparation of the technical project; implementation and execution of the project. 

Legumes are an option for the off-season

The general head of Embrapa Hortaliças, Warley Nascimento, spoke about the potential of chickpea cultivation in Brazil in the third technical season. He commented that legumes are a versatile product and have been highly sought after, generally being sold in the form of dried or rehydrated grains and, more recently, in plant-based products. Among the main consumers are vegans and vegetarians. “In some places in the Brasília region, a 500 g package is sold for R$19. So, we are talking about R$38 per kilo,” he stated.

In addition to its high protein content, especially the amino acid tryptophan, a precursor to serotonin, a neurotransmitter related to mood and well-being, chickpeas are rich in fiber, antioxidants and vitamins. After soybeans, it is the most consumed legume in the world. In 2021, Brazil imported almost 12 thousand tons (around US$10 million), according to the Ministry of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services. The country consumes Kabuli type chickpeas (larger grains, cream colored), while the African and Asian markets prefer the Desi type (smaller grains and different colors), the target of research in Embrapa's genetic improvement program aimed at to export this grain.

Chickpeas are an option for the off-season (second harvest) in a rainfed system in Central Brazil, and should be planted from February to March. It has lower production costs as it requires fewer pesticide applications, and has a productivity of around 2 t/ha – in an irrigated system, it is possible to reach up to 3 t/ha. The crop requires mild temperatures and a drier climate, being quite tolerant to water deficits. 

“It is a sustainable culture, having adapted well in Brazil. Because it is a new crop, with low inoculum potential and high-quality seeds, the diseases that we see in the scientific literature and in other countries do not occur here”, said Nascimento, adding that soil diseases occur, which can be prevented with treatment. of seeds, and pests such as Heliothis spp. and Helicoverpa spp. He also presented information about chickpea planting in the ILPF area, crop management (pest and weed control, nitrogen coverage and harvesting) and productivity. 

Based on trials carried out at Icarda, an international center for agricultural research in dry areas, currently based in Lebanon, Embrapa Hortaliças made available some chickpea cultivars, such as BRS Aleppo, BRS Toro and BRS Cristalino, with dual aptitude (grains can be consumed dry or rehydrated), presented at the field day and, more recently, at BRS Kalifa. More information about the culture is in the book Leguminous Vegetables, which can be downloaded for free.

Júlio Cesar dos Reis, a researcher at Embrapa Cerrados, showed economic results of different configurations of ILPF systems in Mato Grosso, highlighting that the profitability index (profit obtained for each real invested) in all situations was positive, that is, greater than 1. “Over a long period of years, at times these systems even proved to be more profitable than specialized soybean-corn farming due to the lower variability in profits, and the diversification that integration brings. In terms of potential, we see it with great expectation,” he explained, considering the need for careful management of the property to achieve these results.

He presented the cost of implementing the ILPF system with chickpeas in the area where the field day was held – adding the amounts spent on inputs and operations, the value was R$8.763,64/ha. Based on the conditions of the area, an average productivity of 1.600 kg/ha and a price of R$4,00 per kilo were conservatively estimated. With these values, the revenue from chickpeas alone in this area with ILPF would be R$6.400,00/ha. 

“Roughly speaking, chickpeas paid, in the first year, 73% of the implementation cost (of the system). As this is a system that has a forest component and animals will be introduced at some point, there is a long-term logic of maturity. We imagine that the system will stay here for seven to 10 years, so it is a very positive and promising result”, he analyzed.

According to the researcher's calculations, if chickpeas had to pay the entire cost of implementing the system while maintaining the price per kilo at R$4,00, productivity should be 2.190 kg/ha. “It’s not an absurd productivity, that is, it’s possible for us to reach that,” he said. On the other hand, if productivity were maintained at 1.600 kg/ha, the price of R$5,48 per kilo, which is within the current market reality, would be necessary to offset the entire implementation cost. 

“Even though we are conservative in relation to price and productivity, we see that the crop has interesting economic potential. It is a very promising market opportunity and one that producers can use as a viable investment alternative to soy-corn succession models”, he concluded.