image: The Time2Graze project will develop and equip farmers in Latin America with tools that assess pasture availability to identify the optimal time to graze livestock
Credit: CIAT/Isabela Salazar
Palmira, Valle del Cauca, September 10, 2025. The livestock sector is a critical component of global agriculture, supporting the livelihoods of millions of people and contributing to food and nutrition security. However, it is also a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane, which has a global warming potential significantly higher than carbon dioxide. A promising nature-based solution lies in forages, which, in addition to being the primary source of livestock feed, have the potential to attain substantial reductions in methane emissions per kilogram of protein produced when sustainable grazing management practices are applied.
To harness this opportunity, the initiative Time2Graze has been launched. Supported by the Global Methane Hub, the project aims to co-develop seven country-specific decision support systems (DSS) for grazing management in the American tropics. In Colombia and Brazil, this tool is going to be developed by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, to improve access to timely and reliable pasture information, enabling farmers to make better grazing decisions, increase livestock productivity, and reduce methane emissions intensity.
"With Time2Graze, we are bringing together Earth Observation data, pasture models, and producer knowledge into one decision support system. This means providing real-time alerts and predictive forecasts that help livestock producers manage grazing intensity more effectively,”
said Dr. Juan Andrés Cardoso, Plant eco-physiologist with expertise in remote sensing and human centered design at the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT.
In its initial phase, the DSS will focus on two key tropical forages for the region: Urochloa (syn. Brachiaria) and Megathyrsus (syn. Panicum) grasses. To ensure the tool is effective in guiding the management of these forages and recognizing the diversity of livestock systems across the Global South, the DSS will be co-designed with end users through a process that engages local public and private organizations representing producers in each country. This participatory approach will help make the tool practical and accessible for a wide range of users, from smallholders to large-scale ranchers.
By combining local partnerships with innovative technologies, the project aims to accelerate the adoption of sustainable grazing practices across Latin America’s tropical regions. Decision-support tools, together with multistakeholder platforms, will not only close critical data gaps at the farm level but also align global agendas and investments around a shared pathway toward more resilient and climate-smart livestock systems.
For more information or for interview requests:
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Anny Yedra Tropical Forages communications Email: anny.yedra@cgiar.org |
Juan Andrés Cardoso Scientist II, Tropical Forages Program Email: j.a.cardoso@cgiar.org |