Participation of rural women in the identification and valuation of forage species in the Chicamocha ecoregion.

Mujer rural

Abstract

The Chicamocha Canyon ecoregion is an important geographical area in Colombia, with a wide variety of thermal zones that favor the development of forage species in the tropical dry forest. Rural women in the area have been leading innovations to take advantage of this diversity. The objective of this work was to promote the participation of rural women in the identification and assessment of forage species in Chicamocha, in the municipality of Los Santos-Santander. Qualitative methodologies such as social cartography and focus groups were used to characterize species, with the participation of mainly women. Eleven forage species were collected participatively and nutritionally assessed at Agrosavia using near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS). The prioritized forage species were categorized based on local knowledge into: 1) grazing grasses, 2) shrubby-arboreal legumes, 3) shrubby forage plants, and 4) aromatic herbaceous plants. Chaya and Gallinero were the species with the highest protein content (28.5%). Nopal had the highest ash concentration (16.8%). Digestibility in all forage shrub species was above 65%. The presence of secondary metabolites was also determined in all species. In terms of the main uses and exploitation of the species, their use in animal and human food was outstanding. It is concluded that the territory has a high biodiversity of forage species, which from a gender perspective can be exploited in different ways, thus contributing to the economic autonomy and sustainable development of rural women.