Thirty Hectares of Alfalfa to be Planted for Livestock in Pampa del Tamarugal

Ranchers in the Pampa del Tamarugal National Reserve will have fodder for their cattle thanks to a project developed by SQM and CONAF.

 Through an alliance between the Chilean National Forestry Corporation (CONAF) and SQM, ranchers from a local indigenous association (Asociación Indígena Aymara Campesina Pampa del Tamarugal) will have 30 hectares of alfalfa to be used as supplemental feed for cattle grazing within the Pampa del Tamarugal National Reserve.

The project’s objective is to create a space within the protected area for growing alfalfa, specifically in the El Carmelo sector, close to the town of La Tirana, in the district of Pozo Almonte, in order to provide green fodder for cattle that graze on the reserve. Because of climate change, the area has seen a reduction in fruit from the tamarugo tree forest in recent years.

With funding from SQM to purchase machinery and tools, among other items, and land and water rights provided by CONAF, the indigenous association will have the infrastructure and technical advice it needs to produce bales of alfalfa to distribute among its 19 ranchers in order to improve the cattle’s diet.

The project involves an investment of around 600 million pesos, which will be donated by SQM, and will be developed over three years, with the first 10 hectares planted during the first year. Likewise, the ranchers made a commitment with CONAF to establish a maximum herd volume in order to ultimately decrease the load on the tamarugo forest as the main source of feed.

Richards Challapa, the association’s president, highlighted the importance of this project, which “we are hopeful will help combat the lack of food and improve the three-thousand head herd.”

José Miguel Berguño, Nitrates and Iodine Operations Senior Vice-President for SQM, explained, “This is a very good opportunity for collaborating and generating dialogue with the community, the regional government and CONAF. Through our agricultural program, Tamarugal Tierra Fértil, we are strengthening a project that benefits local entrepreneurs and makes local farming more sustainable.”   He then added, “We expect to see big results in the short term with this alfalfa project.”

Finally, Juan Ignacio Boudon, the regional director of CONAF, indicated, “We have set aside 40 hectares of the reserve, in addition to water rights, to transform the El Carmelo sector into a production unit for cattle feed for our users. With this participatory project and contributions from the private sector, we can protect our reserve and take actions to preserve it.”