Grasslands Alliance

"I received this field in trust. My way of working the field will always be in harmony with nature conservation, because I want my children and grandchildren to be able to see what I knew when I was a girl."

"I have been part of the Alianza del Pastizal Uruguay for six years and I have the honor of participating in the National Governance Board of the Alliance in my country, where I represent 200 producers from the Uruguayan Pastureland Association (Augap). For me, being part of the Alliance means being able to contribute to the conservation of rangelands, biodiversity, animal welfare, and to promote good practices of sustainable and responsible production. In short, trying to leave a better place in this ecosystem in which I live; taking care of my place of work, which is my family's livelihood, as well as making strategic decisions to improve the quality of rural producers".

"There is no greater challenge than to face ourselves. Our beliefs and customs. That the grasslands are much more than just the factory of our raw materials is one of these challenges. That they be recognized as a natural treasure, invaluable and unique, where some of our most endangered species take refuge, is the challenge. To conserve and produce is possible. To produce and conserve is necessary".

"Alianza del Pastizal is a living project that is part of the rational revolution necessary for our survival. It is a permanent holistic search that challenges us to find new balances between human development and the nature of which we are a part. We share the "uncomfortable talk" of producing in pastures to conserve biodiversity. This challenges us to evolve, investigate, relearn, share, experiment and question; always respecting projects and ways of life without fundamentalism, promoting creativity and applied research. We are part of a search for true environmental, social and economic sustainability."

"When we work in favor of nature, the whole environment flows and ecosystems regenerate and conserve themselves. The Alianza del Pastizal brings together different profiles with a common axis: the promotion of meat, wool, milk and honey production with sustainability. The sustainable production of these products urgently needs to be valued and encouraged by society and governments. Maintaining the livestock producer, his future generations and the gaucho tradition should be the central focus of public policy development."

"Working in the immensity and solitude of the grasslands, we learn to love and value their beauty and invaluable richness in biodiversity, which unites in grassy blankets forming infinite horizons, where each sunrise and sunset becomes a unique spectacle. The Alianza del pastizal is a force driven by the love that livestock producers have for their land because they know that preserving these landscapes and their values, often intangible. This constitutes the most precious legacy for future generations."

"The years that I have accompanied this initiative have transformed my traditional concepts about Paraguay's natural fields. From not very productive lands, I have come to understand their benefits for production, culture, and biodiversity. This landscape of vast plains, which for a long time was defended only thanks to its agricultural limitations, is now losing its horizon due to new technologies and the lack of knowledge about its dynamics and species. The conservation of Paraguayan grasslands represents a great challenge in the management and maintenance of the important benefits provided by this ecosystem, where livestock farming is a historical ally. It is necessary to positively value the natural grasslands, that society in general recognizes their importance because it is a unique and threatened landscape that we cannot lose".