| Livestock Research for Rural Development 36 (5) 2024 | LRRD Search | LRRD Misssion | Guide for preparation of papers | LRRD Newsletter | Citation of this paper |
This article reviews the benefits and limitations of the river buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) species in the Orinoquia region of Colombia as part of sustainable livestock systems. River buffaloes have a short and successful history in Colombia, in less than 60 years, they have shown a continuous growth of their population thanks to their characteristics: anatomical and physiological adaptations, the high quality of their products (milk, meat and animal traction) and the successful adaptation to different ecosystems of the country, especially in wild, low and floodable areas. The current (2024) population is calculated at 563,372 animals. The Orinoquia in Colombia has 347.000 km 2 constitutes almost one-third (30.4%) of the national territory of Colombia. It is in the equatorial zone. The region has several physiographic; it has a high biodiversity but at the same time it is considered fragile in the face of disturbances of anthropic origin, especially road and urban infrastructure, hydrocarbon exploitation and monocultures. Grazing cattle constitute the most extensive productive system in the entire region (22,435,205 hectares). In more than 80% of the area, this activity is carried out in natural savannas and planted introduced pastures. The activity has significant limitations of soils, humidity, and forage quality that determine that it is a cattle ranching with extensive management. Buffalo production is a growing alternative for regions is outstanding in seasonally flooded areas or with high water levels where most cattle they adapt poorly and have very low productive indicators. Buffalos' river can play a complementary role and even replace cattle production due to cost reduction and better reproductive efficiency. The particularities of river buffaloes are discussed, especially those tolerance to diseases, requirements for good management and it is concluded that production systems with river buffaloes in different landscapes of the Orinoquia of Colombia can successfully meet all these requirements if they are managed with agroecological principles and the guidelines that scientific knowledge has accumulated.
Keywords: Bubalus bubalis, sustainable livestock, flooded savannahs, physiographic landscapes
The river buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) belongs to the Bovinae subfamily, like cattle (Bos taurus taurus and Bos taurus indicus). This species was domesticated in northeastern India more than six thousand years ago and since then has accompanied humanity as an animal of multiple uses and benefits, especially in the production of milk, meat, and leather (skin); also in animal traction, draught (tillage), hauling (even for riding humans) and the generation of organic fertilizer (Bertoni et al. 2020; Minervino 2020).
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| Photo 1. Herd of river buffaloes graze on the banks of the Meta River in Casanare consuming the grass Paspalum fasciculatum (Willd. former Flüggé) which is rarely consumed by cattle. Bufalera Piamonte, Casanere (Colombia). Photo: Luis E. López |
Photo 2. River buffaloes are intelligent animals and sensitive to good management as shown in the image in the open field. Bufalera Piemonte, Casanare (Colombia). Photo: Luis E. López |
The last official data on the buffalo population, published in 2018, reported that there were 208.1 million animals distributed in 77 tropical and subtropical countries on five continents; with this data, it should be noted that in the last 50 years, the buffalo population increased by 97.9% compared to 40% of cattle. (Minervino et al 2020). The world's largest buffalo population is in India, which 2017 exceeded 113 million animals. It also generates the highest milk production (86.26 million tons in 2017).
According to FAO, buffalo milk production accounts for 15.14% of world milk production. It has twice the fat and a third more solids than cattle's milk, making it a better-quality product and a more significant contribution to food security.
There were 123 breeds of river buffalo registered until 2016, the great majority in Asia; however, only 15 breeds are common worldwide (FAO 2016). River buffaloes have a brief and successful history in Colombia (Agronet 2024) since, in less than 60 years, they have shown a continuous growth of their population thanks to their strengths: anatomical and physiological adaptations (Bertoni et al. 2020); the high quality of their products (milk and meat) and the successful acclimatization to different ecosystems of the country, especially in wild, low and floodable areas (Guerrero et al. 2020). For the first semester of 2024, 563,372 animals were registered (Agronet 2024).
The Orinoquia in Colombia, with 347.000 km2, constitutes almost one-third (30.4%) of the national territory. The states of Arauca, Casanare, Meta, and Vichada form it. It is located in the equatorial zone between 60 to 75 degrees longitude and 2 to 10 degrees north latitude (IGAC 1999).
The region has several physiographic landscapes whose geological history, relief, hydro fluvial network, and active erosion and tectonic processes make them different from one another and determine their productive potential. These landscapes are the eastern slope of the Eastern Cordillera; the sedimentary basins of the Andean rivers; the depositional piedmont in Casanare and Meta; the low flood plains of Arauca and Casanare (floodable savannas); the high plains in Meta and Vichada (flat and dissected Altillanura); the Guyanese shield present in Vichada and the Sierra de La Macarena (Bustamante 2019). Studies on the biodiversity of ecosystems and the different groups of flora (Cárdenas et al 2016) and fauna show that the region is rich, fragile, and incompletely represented in protected area systems in both Venezuela and Colombia (Lasso et al 2010).
Grazing cattle constitute the most extensive productive system in the entire region (22,435,205 hectares). In more than 80% of the area, this activity is carried out in natural savannas and planted introduced pastures. The activity has significant limitations of soils, humidity, and forage quality that determine that it is a cattle ranching with extensive management, mainly animal breeding, which has very low animal loads (Vera and Hoyos 2019; Álvarez and Rincón 2010), sometimes reaching several hectares per animal unit; with a reproductive expression fertility of cattle) that does not exceed 50%. Approximately 24% of the land is considered to have a low aptitude for cattle raising, which means their agroecological conditions. However, they allow economic activity and are not optimal for good use (Álvarez and Rincón 2010); therefore, a particular type of animal is required. Acid soils low in phosphorus and exchangeable bases, high temperatures, and extreme fluctuations in humidity mean that the availability of good quality fodder is low during most of the year; most of the fodder is very fibrous (high cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin content) and low in protein, sugars, lipids, and minerals.
To make farms more intensive systems, the introduction of pastures and legumes, rotational grazing, mineralized salt supply, supplementation in periods of low forage supply, and selection of different breeds of animals for meat, milk, or dual purpose has been performed. Zebu breeds Bos indicus (Brahman, Gyr Lechero, Nelore, Guzerat) and crossbred with zebu (Brangus, Simbrah, Limousin, Normando, Holstein, Brown Swiss, Jersey, and others) have been used. In recent years, significant advances have been made in the knowledge and selection of creole breeds (Bos taurus) such as Sanmartinero, Romosinuano, and Blanco Orejinegro (Martínez and Flórez 2022). The physiographic landscapes where these changes have been most successful are the foothills of the eastern cordillera and a small portion of the flat highlands where production systems include fattening (fattening), technified breeding, the complete cycle (breeding-fattening) and dual-purpose (meat and milk). Extensive systems prevail in the rest of the region (Nama-Bovina 2021).
The buffalo is a docile, intelligent, curious animal that corresponds to good treatment (Galindo 1998). They live longer than cattle, as they can exceed 30 years of age and maintain their reproductive capacity until 18-25 years old (Bertoni 2020). They have a highly developed sense of smell; they identify the personnel that handle, drive, treat and feed them by scent. They are curious and manage in groups (Minervino et al 2020).
Since it arrived in the country at the end of the 1960s, the water buffalo has shown great potential to produce meat, milk, and labor in Colombia. The productive indexes of this species exceed those obtained by other bovine species under the same environmental and management conditions; differences have been attributed mainly to the buffalo's capacity to transform low-quality food into valuable nutrients and to its hardiness (Angulo et al 2005).
Research has shown that buffaloes have comparative advantages over cattle due to their remarkable ability to utilize forage resources with high fiber content (Guerrero et al 2020).
Regarding milk production, buffalo milk has approximately twice as much fat and 30% more solids than cow's milk. FAO says that if dry matter is considered, the importance of buffalo milk worldwide will be even greater (FAO 2016). Regarding energy, 1 kg of buffalo milk is equivalent to 5.10 MJ, much higher than the 2.90 MJ/kg of 1 kg of cattle milk (Varricchio 2007).
Buffalo production is a growing alternative for regions with a low-quality forage supply, such as the Orinoquia. However, its performance is outstanding in seasonally flooded areas or with high water levels where most cattle do not survive, except for genetic groups such as the Creole Casanareña breed. For less extensive systems such as dual-purpose production, fattening, and production of animals for work, buffaloes can play a complementary role and even replace cattle production due to cost reduction and better reproductive efficiency. Table 1 presents, based on the authors' knowledge, a general approximation of the productive potential of river buffalo production systems (classified as high, medium, and low) in the main physiographic landscapes of livestock use in the Orinoquia of Colombia. The concepts are given considering the natural availability with soil, climate, and forage restrictions, but also according to the current conditions of public infrastructure (especially roads), distances to consumption or market centers for the products (milk, cattle, fat animals, working animals), production costs and the availability of appropriate labor.
| Table 1. Potential of buffaloes in the Orinoquia of Colombia by landscapes and production systems | ||||||
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Physiographic landscape |
Extension |
Breeding |
Fattening |
Dual |
Draught (traction)
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Triple purpose |
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Eastern cordillera |
3.186.106 |
High |
Medium |
High |
Medium |
Low |
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The foothills of the eastern cordillera |
60.053.636 |
High |
High |
High |
High |
High |
|
The low plains or flooded savannahs |
116.859.510 |
High |
Medium |
Medium |
Low |
Low |
|
The high plains ("Altillanura" landscapes) |
123.012.002 |
High |
Low |
Low |
Low |
Low |
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* Data from the Instituto A.v. Humboldt (Bustamante 2019) |
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| Source: The authors 2024 | ||||||
Although the exercise is preliminary and as mentioned above, is based on the authors' accumulated knowledge of the region and cattle ranching in its physiographic landscapes, it shows the promising performance of river buffaloes in different tropical production systems and a prospective vision for the coming years following growth trends and demand for sustainable livestock products.
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| Photo 3. Herd of river buffalo adapted to the flooded savannahs of Arauca. Matecandela Farm, Arauca (Colombia). Photo: Daniela Rodríguez |
Photo 4. Manuel milking of river buffaloes in Arauca. Matecandela Farm, Arauca (Colombia). Photo: Daniela Rodríguez |
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| Photo 5. Management of river buffalo with regenerative grazing in the high plains (Altillanura landscapes) of the Orinoquia. Bufalera Mancha Verde, Vichada (Colombia). Photo: Pedro Pablo Cabal |
Photo 6. Buffaloes require a constant supply of good quality water. Bufalera Mancha Verde, Vichada (Colombia). Photo: Pedro Pablo Cabal |
The foothills of the eastern cordillera have the most significant current potential for all systems because they have the best soils, the climatic regime is less extreme for fodder supply, and the water supply is better distributed spatially. In socioeconomic aspects, this region has the highest density of human population with rapid growth; the best road network with connections to the interior of the country and also here is concentrated the development of the oil palm agroindustry that by 2020 had planted 274,596 ha, almost half of the area of the crop in Colombia (Espinosa et al. 2021); therefore there is a demand for animals for draft in the harvesting of fruit bunches.
Some areas of the eastern cordillera, especially in the medium climate, present opportunities for breeding and dual purpose because buffaloes adapt without significant difficulties to lower temperatures than those of the low tropics and because of the proximity to large and medium-sized cities in the center of the country.
The low plains or flooded savannahs located in the departments of Casanare and Arauca have perhaps the most significant potential for buffalo systems soon. The adaptation of the species to these environments where flooding water from overflowing rivers occurs during several months of the year had already been proven about three decades ago in the Orinoquia of Venezuela, especially in the state of Apure (Reggeti 2007). Although, in recent years, rice monoculture in the region has caused substantial transformations to the ecosystem, it is very important to note that the large area that covers this region is of unquestionable livestock vocation under models compatible with the protection of biodiversity and hydrobiological resources (Peñuela et al 2014), with a predominance of extensive cattle raising systems with low productive parameters and where buffaloes have better performance due to the aspects as mentioned earlier. To the extent that the farms can access improved roads that shorten distances, the systems will evolve towards dual-purpose or fattening.
The high plains (Altillanura landscapes) have the most considerable extension of the physiographic units of the Colombian Orinoquia region and are in the departments of Meta and Vichada. There are two types of these plains: one with good physical characteristics and favorable topography called Altillanura Plana and the other hilly with severe edaphic restrictions called Altillanura Disectada (Álvarez and Rincón 2010). In the former, given that it has desirable conditions for mechanization and well-structured soils, it undergoes an active, productive transformation where native savannas are displaced at high speed with the implementation of improved pastures of African origin (Bastidas et al 2023) and by the intensive agriculture of the agro-industrial model of monocultures, especially corn, soybeans, sugarcane, oil palm and rubber (Bustamante 2019). The Altillanura disectada has significant limitations for mechanized agriculture, so low-tech livestock farming, and some forestry plantations are the systems most consistent with the agroecological vocation.
Buffalo production in the two Altillanura is relatively recent. Due to the long distances to the populated centers of the foothills and the central part of the country, with almost impossible roads during the rainy months, the production system will be cattle-raising for a long time. There are experiences of innovative entrepreneurs using regenerative grazing techniques with buffaloes in the flat highlands where mobile electric fences and access to water are essential for success. With this, a complete transformation of the native savanna and the use of fire are not required. Consolidating these initiatives would give the species an advantage over the dominant model of extensive cattle raising (Cabal 2022).
Water buffalo have relatively less heat tolerance than other livestock species due to inadequate dispersion of their sweat glands and the dark coat color dominant in most of the population, resulting in a less effective evaporative cooling system (Marai and Haeeb 2010). Recent research using infrared light thermometers confirms that river buffaloes use mud effectively to reduce heat stress and avoid the presence of ectoparasites as part of their behavior.
When buffaloes remain in swampy areas (even small ones), they regulate their temperature adequately, possibly mitigating any detrimental effects on their performance (Guerrero et al 2020). These animals suffer from high tropical temperatures and their increase with climate change. Therefore, their raising should be done by facilitating spaces for mud baths and providing grazing areas with natural shade from trees, which is not available in the flooded savannah or highland landscapes of the Orinoquia of Colombia. The comfort of the animals must always be considered, which translates into welfare and better productivity.
The river buffalo has magnificent memories, remembering situations, people, and places that made it feel good or bad. When the experience is negative, it will tend to repeat it every time it happens, especially when there is a violent event. Specialists in buffalo management recommend that the personnel in charge adapt the animals to their presence, with daily visual and tactile contact; they should not pressure them, allowing them to express their natural behavior as much as possible (Rébak 2019). In the Orinoquia region dominated by extensive cattle farming with strong cultural roots, the practices of herding and domination of the animal (roping, "coleo," "derribo") are often carried out with excessive force and even violence, something that should not be used with buffalo and is part of the indispensable learning process for undertakings with the species.
The large extensions without trees, the frequent use of fire as a practice for the renewal of the pastures, the absence of livestock aqueducts, and the lack of trees for shade are conditions that must be profoundly modified for the excellent performance of buffalo cattle in the Orinoquia. In this species, the conditions of good management coincide entirely with those of their welfare; therefore, efforts should concentrate on providing the raising and breeding sites with fresh, clean, and good quality water, spaces where they can lie down in the mud to reduce the heat and offer natural shade with trees, for which there is currently enough knowledge applicable in each physiographic landscape of the region (Murgueitio et al 2017; Cárdenas et al 2016; Acero 2005). The management of electric fences and tapes is determinant for the excellent management of regenerative grazing of high instantaneous loads and long rest periods (Cabal 2022). The buffalo accepts quickly and with better behavior than some bovine groups the respect for electricity in wire fences.
River buffaloes have a more extended gestation period than cattle (305 days); given that they have a rapid uterine involution and the onset of ovarian activity, they can calve once a year, which is the ideal calving interval. With equal supply and management of tropical forages in South America, they have shown better fertility rates than commercial cattle herds (Bertoni et al 2020; Reggeti 2007). This practices, together with their reproductive longevity, gives them comparative advantages that explain the more significant increase in populations (Agronet 2024; FAO 2006).
However, buffalo reproduction has a marked seasonality. In our Orinoquia, the mating, conception, and calving periods occur from August to the end of the year's second half (Minervino et al. 2020). This seasonality influences the performance of the production system because it necessarily generates moments of decrease in the amount of milk and the natural limitation on the number of calves produced. The producer should use this characteristic to his advantage or intervene in it. The authors consider that it can be a management advantage in the buffalo production systems by being able to concentrate all the attention in one part of the year for calving and management of calves and another for raising. Still, at the same time, we understand the limitations of the milk producer (dual purpose or dairy) that requires raw material throughout the year for a market to process into fresh dairy products (Mitat-Valdez 2022). It should be mentioned that in large herds, the buvillas (first calving animals) on herd production are evident since they become pregnant when they reach puberty and are the primary source of milk during the time of the year when there is not so much reproductive activity (Mitat-Valdez 2022).
It is essential to know that buffaloes have very little homosexual behavior, mounting or being mounted when they are in heat; that is why in artificial insemination programs, significant efforts must be made to detect estrus through the use of "heater" males or other aids or simply the use of fixed-time artificial insemination (FTAI). Nowadays, using medications to manipulate the estrous cycle, herd reproduction can be intervened according to the breeder's needs (Ciornei and Rosca 2016).
River buffaloes are characterized as being very tolerant to infectious diseases and internal parasites. However, they share sanitary problems such as diseases of obligatory control for all bovines, such as foot and mouth disease, brucellosis, and tuberculosis; therefore, they must be subjected to preventive vaccination controls and health monitoring. Infections caused by bacterial agents, such as the complex of different species and strains of Clostridium and Bacillus, also affect river buffaloes and require preventive management with vaccination according to prevalence and local programs. In addition, the animals are attacked by internal parasites (nematodes and tapeworms) from birth, and the calves require permanent surveillance and preventive treatments. Although they are strong to tolerate a high level of hemiparasites such as anaplasma and babesia (Gomes et al 2008), these present a complex epidemiology in the Orinoquia (Benavides and Polanco 2017), sometimes presenting themselves simultaneously and, therefore, are of mandatory surveillance, diagnosis and treatment in time. As in other low humid tropical areas where vectors (mainly horseflies) reproduce quickly, in the Orinoquia, the presentation of trypanosomiasis is endemic in cattle and horses (Otte et al. 1994) and severely affects river buffaloes. As it is complicated to control the presence of vectors in the open field, selection patterns for resistance coupled with early diagnosis and treatment are the main management methods (Prada and Crespo 2016).
We consider it essential to refer to the rusticity of the species, referring to two parameters: the incidence of disease and mortality during the year in the herd, which is very low, 1,1% and 0,4%, respectively. It should be remembered that these values can vary according to many environmental and management conditions (Martínez-Reina et al 2021). However, this reality has created the myth that animals do not get sick. Young animals are more susceptible than adult animals, with parasites being the most frequent causative agents of disease. Given the role of reproduction in the herd, abortion, and within health conditions, hemoparasites are reported as frequent pathologies (Valencia-Vélez 2016).
As mentioned above, buffaloes do get sick. Still, information and knowledge about them are scarce, making it difficult to reach accurate diagnoses, with the consequent management problems and their effects on animal and human health. Paradoxically, there is another belief in buffalo raising: "Buffalo sick is a buffalo dead."
Unlike the Asian continent, where swamp or river buffalo are kept in small controlled populations, Latin America and the Caribbean river buffalo are kept in medium to large herds, most of them extensively in large areas with little surveillance. This has often led to male animals or groups of calving buffaloes moving away from herds and invading forest and wetland areas where they can breed semi-wild. Also, when floods occur in large rivers, buffalo can be pushed downstream; most survive and escape to riparian forests and sparsely inhabited areas. Depending on the weather and the density of animals, the effects on flora and soils can be magnitude. The same is true for the lands of corporate farmers and peasants, who may be affected by the animals' consumption and trampling. The breeding conditions are reversible, with the capture of escaped animals and subsequent management based on good management practices. Some animals have even been used as traction or draft animals to complement tractors (Galindo 1994).
In the large watershed areas, riverine communities make their living from fishing in the rivers and wetlands, and some environmentalists denounce river buffalo as a threat. This is partly due to the lack of definition of the boundaries of lake areas subject to floods and droughts, as well as extensive and uncontrolled management by owners of buffalo herds.
As market forces and the success of river buffalo in the Orinoquia make it likely that large-scale expansion will occur in the future, it is necessary to manage growth based on:
Modern national and international society currently demands animal foods of high nutritional quality, safe for health (including contamination by antibiotics and pesticides free), generated in production systems that guarantee animal welfare while being compatible with the care of soils, water, and biodiversity, as well as generating less greenhouse gas emissions.
Production systems with river buffaloes in different landscapes of the Orinoquia of Colombia can successfully meet all these requirements if they are managed with agroecological principles and the guidelines that scientific knowledge has accumulated. We are sure that it is possible to achieve it to contribute to the great objective of turning the Orinoquia into the healthy food pantry of the country and why not, of the world.
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