By Soledad Requejo and Roy Parizat
From degrading landscapes to sustainable farming, Meta leads the way with the approval of landmark Sustainable Beef Ordinance
Together with Bogotá, Capital District, Meta is one of the thirty-two departments that comprise the territory of Colombia. Located in the center of the country, more exactly to the east of the Eastern Cordillera, in the Colombian Orinoquía region, Meta has an area of 85,635 km², which represents 7.49% of the national territory1. Its capital is the city of Villavicencio, divided politically and administratively into 29 municipalities.
Known for its parks and colorful traditional dances (joropo and coleo), Meta derives its name from the Meta River, which runs through the northern part of the department. According to a popular myth, Diego de Ordás, the famous Spanish explorer, named the river when he heard from the natives a story about a King Meta who lived upstream and owned a lot of gold. Regardless of the veracity of the legend, the truth is that Meta has always been a fertile region, featuring unique ecosystems as the Andes descend into foothills, followed by lowland grassy plains, wetlands, and areas that transition into the Amazon biome. Over the last three decades, however, agricultural expansion has led to the degradation of these rich landscapes, exacerbating the impact of climate change and depleting the land’s nutrients.
According to Global Forest Watch, Meta had 4.20 million hectares of natural forest in 2010, extending over 50% of its land area. In 2023, it lost 16,000 hectares of natural forest. From 2002 to 2023, Meta lost 397,000 hectares of humid primary forest, making up 62% of its total tree cover loss in the same time period. Total area of humid primary forest in Meta decreased by 15% in this time period. And, from 2001 to 2023, Meta lost 665,000 hectares of tree cover, equivalent to a 15% decrease in tree cover since 2000. According to Meta’ s government, the main causes of deforestation are prairie development for agriculture, illegal logging, unsustainable intensive livestock farming practices, unplanned transportation infrastructure and crops for illicit use.
But that’s starting to change, with the department of Meta spearheading efforts to improve the lives of its residents while enhancing biodiversity and revitalizing the environment.
One main challenge is how to reconcile the region´s sustainability with environmentally friendly livestock practices. Colombia is the third-largest beef supplier in Latin America and the Caribbean, with Meta contributing significantly to this production. In 2023, it had around 2.3 million cattle heads, accounting for 8.5% of the national total and making it the third-largest department in terms of bovine population, following Antioquia and Córdoba. Livestock activities contribute 18% of the country’s total estimated greenhouse gas emissions.
Meta’s farmers are shifting towards reducing their environmental impact, preserving forests, and simultaneously creating jobs through the expansion of sustainable cattle farming. What started as a small movement with individual model farms has now become codified into the regional legal structure with Meta passing a Sustainable Beef Ordinance. This ordinance establishes guidelines for developing sustainable cattle and dairy value chains, addressing emissions from primary livestock production processes, as well as the milk collection, conservation, marketing, and waste management from livestock auctions and processing plants.
The ordinance, crafted with inputs from multiple stakeholders, was supported by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), member of the World Bank Group, and the Orinoquía Biocarbon Project, and received funding from the Biocarbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes (ISFL) and the Government of Japan. The Ordinance not only provides the legal framework to translate Colombia’s national priorities for carbon reduction into tangible on-the-ground action, but also integrates national and regional policies, rural planning tools, and validated practices. This comprehensive approach provides a roadmap for the sustainable development of the bovine meat and dairy chains in Meta until 2050.
Meta’s Sustainable Beef Ordinance provides the legal framework to transform Colombia’s national commitment to cut GHG emissions by at least 51% by 2030 into concrete actions on the ground.
The ordinance aims to address major challenges faced by the Meta department, including degraded pastures, illegal deforestation, and low productivity. Its primary goal is to create a sustainable and low-carbon beef value chain while integrating agriculture with natural landscapes and benefiting local communities.
Engagement with all stakeholders in the region was critical to ensure inclusion and that the well-being of the people who live in Meta and their livelihoods were considered alongside the need to reduce climate impacts and restore environment health. The ordinance was formulated in collaboration with the Government of Meta and the active participation of the National Sustainable Livestock Roundtable, Meta’s Sustainable Livestock Roundtable, AGROSAVIA, Unidad de Planeación Rural Agropecuaria (UPRA), the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Cormacarena, CONSEA, and other key actors.
The ordinance, unique in Latin America, is a pioneering initiative championed by the Department of Meta. Hopefully, it will serve as a model for replication in other departments in Colombia and other countries.
