2025 Reports

Uruguay’s Livestock Sector: Lessons for Sustainable Development

Karl, Kevin; Baethgen, Walter E.

The successful development of Uruguay's livestock sector demonstrates how a small, export- oriented economy can develop an environmentally efficient and technologically advanced agricultural system through strategic policy implementation and institutional coordination. This case study examines the evolution and current state of Uruguay's livestock system, with particular attention to the innovations, institutions and partnerships that have enabled its success. It aims to serve as a resource for countries seeking to enhance their livestock sectors through sustainable practices and institutional development. Although the case study focuses on the Uruguayan livestock system, we will discuss how the advances in the sector are part of a larger and related agricultural innovation ecosystem that includes mapping soil quality/productivity, public/private extension, planning for forestry expansion, regulations for soil conservation, and many others.