INTRODUCTION. Animal production system based on rangeland are very complex being its management closely related to the functioning of the ecosystem in which it is supoorted. For assessing the environmental impact of livestock management many variables need to be considered, making difficult and expensive to obtain a comprehensive overview of the ecosystem state and evolution. Therefore a qualitative and quantitative assessment tool was developed in order to evaluate the integrity of the ecosystem under productive use that may be applied in a simple and practical process.

ABSTRACT. There are opportunities to improve livestock family farms (LFF) sustainability in Uruguay by changing management practices and incorporating technologies, using the co-innovation approach. To harness these opportunities, between 2012 and 2015 a research project was implemented in Eastern Uruguay, where three simultaneous processes occurred at three levels:farm, region and research team. At farm level, the work was carried out in seven LFF as case studies.

ABSTRACT. Participatory approaches are needed to ensure learning processes and to incorporate lessons learned during the implementation of a project. This is particularly important when the aim is to improve farm sustainability considering changes in knowledge and skills, natural resources management and networking.