Improving forage value of degraded pastures in Central America

This brief paper outlines the aim of a collaborative project seeking to achieve a better understanding of the factors that determine forage yield and value of pastures in Central America.The expansion of pastures is Central America has not been accompanied with sustainable management of pastures or the use of more suitable alternatives for the deforested land.The impact of pasture degradation on farm households can result in high seasonal variation in pasture productivity, low buffer capacity of primary productivity against environmental fluctuations, and high susceptibility to the colonisation by undesirable species.The project will identify diverse pasture plant composition that can maintain ecological processes to ensure an ecologically sustainable pasture production and utilisation.