Availability of Payment for Environmental Services in Silvopastoral Dairy Systems in the High Andean Region of Colombia

Abstract

The selling price of a liter of milk in Colombian livestock farming has low profitability, so establishing silvopastoral systems to generate environmental goods and services is an alternative to obtain additional income. In Pasto-Colombia, the preferences of consumers regarding the portfolio of environmental services were determined, and the willingness to pay and accept an additional value for a liter of milk produced in sustainable livestock systems was identified, for this purpose a contingent valuation was made; in which 100 consumers and 30 producers were surveyed to determine the willingness to pay or accept a payment for maintaining or establishing trees; a prioritization of the most relevant environmental services was also made; finally, the weighted value was socialized for its evaluation by the actors of the system. The most relevant environmental services in scientific literature were Carbon and Greenhouse Gas Capture, Biodiversity, Soil Conservation and Fertility, Water Regulation and Landscaping. As for the willingness to pay an additional value per liter of milk, more than 80% of consumers and 100% of producers agreed. Finally, the value per liter of milk, considering the values of both willingness to give and receive, was agreed at $ 68.4 COP.