Silvopastoral system using Leucaena leucocephala for sustainable animal production in the tropics

The low availability and fluctuating quantity and quality of forage growing in grassland, shrinking grassland area and poor management are the main causes of increased land degradation and reduced productivity of animals grazing on tropical grasslands. One sustainable way for overcoming the problems is through establishment of Leucaena leucocephala in grasslands. To generate information useful for increasing productivity of grasslands using Leucaena leucocephala, literature concerning the benefits of Leucaena – grass mixture in silvopastoral system in Google Scholar, PubMed, Crossref, Scopus and Web of Science databases were searched. From those databases, characteristics of Leucaena in relation to overcoming land degradation and increasing soil fertility were elaborated and highlighted. Nutritive value of Leucaena and grasses, both in mixture and monoculture and their relations to animal production are reviewed and discussed.