The indigenous word caatinga, meaning "white woods", traditionally refers to the natural landscape of the Brazilian northern backlands, an important semi-arid area in a country with a predominant humid and sub-humid tropical climate. The caatinga climate is very hot and prolonged cyclical droughts exert strong influence over the region's hydrology, flora, fauna and socio-economy.

The predominant vegetation in the caatinga is adapted to the dry climate and little amount of water. Plants are mainly deciduous and thorny with many cactuses and bromeliads species. There is a huge contrast though between dry and sporadic rainy seasons, when the nude, gray and thorny caatinga turns into a new and green landscape covered with little leaves.

Livestock production systems in the Caatinga are not yet adequately identified and described. This project intends to collaborate to the better understanding of this important biome, determining green-house gases and carbon balances in natural and improved pastures in the area. 

Production systems under evaluation: crop-livestock-forestry integration systems for the semi-arid.