Crop-livestock system: intensified use of agricultural lands

Crop-livestock is a production system that succeeds, at the same area, pastures to animal production and vegetal crops, especially cereals. The objective of this work was to discuss the major presuppositions and characteristics of the crop-livestock system in Southern Brazil, and its effects on the soil quality and animal and vegetal yield. This production system can result in some advantages to farmers such as increase of rent per area, higher diversification, decrease of economic hazards and production costs. Moreover, the crop-livestock system can show biological advantages such as biodiversity increase and improved soil quality. Among the disadvantages, it can point out the possibility of superficial soil compaction in inappropriate pasture management. To success of crop-livestock system some presuppositions must be considered, such as crop rotation, use of no-tillage system, correction of soil acidity and fertility, use of improving vegetal and animal genotypes and, mainly, adequate pasture management.