Integration of crop and livestock systems
	Crop-Livestock Integration Benefits [L. Vilrla et al.]	The development of integrated systems based on annual crops in association and rotation with forages for livestock, responds to a variety of needs to: i) intensify crop production; ii) increase profitability and precision of inputs; iii) increase farmers’ security; iv) preserve natural resources and the environment. Generally farmers invest more labour and inputs to produce a crop (such as rice, cotton, soybean, maize, rubber and coconut) than to produce forage for livestock. However, the production of pastures is as important as the production of crops to increase farm income and security, to improve biodiversity and environmental benefits, to improve efficiency of fertilizers and zero tillage. Research carried out in Brazil shows that well managed grazed pastures in rotation with crops leave in the system more than 15 t/ha of roots, showing a larger content of soil organic residues (8.8 g/kg dry soil) than in the case of continuous soybean crops (1.3 g/kg dry soil). Pastures also maintain high micro and macro flora activity in the soil and increase soil porosity. FAO promotes information sharing and training of scientists, technicians, farmers and policy makers on the biology, the technologies and best practices to enhance the integration between crops and pasture production in different ecologies.	Databases
			Grassland species profiles Country pasture profiles
			Information
	Crop-Livestock Integration Options [J. Kluthcouski and L. Pacheco Yokoyama]		Publications Field projects Networks
			Links
			Conservation Agriculture
	Direto no Cerrado selected articles from APDCs bulletin
• Optimization of agricultural production while protecting natural ecosystems [ICARRD Special Thematic Session, March 2006]
• Degradación de los sistemas pastoriles de la Patagonia [INIA Tamel Aike and FAO April, 2006]
• Integration of crops and livestock: an experience from Brazil and future perspectives [C. Batello, P. Carvalho and E. Kueneman]
• Can the no-tillage system affect the use of irrigation in tropical and subtropical cropping areas? [H. Bergamaschi and G. A. Dalmago]
• Integration of livestock with perennial crops [M. Sánchez]