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Daily dedication to each tasks performed by the farmer in grazing and indoor systems
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Multiple factors affect the continuity of goat farms: market conditions, availability of land, application of new technologies, etc. Among these factors, those related to labour play an important role. The aim of this study is to characterize all aspects related to labour in goat farms in Andalusia (Spain) and propose some strategies for improvemen...
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Citations
... Se debe tener en cuenta que la ganadería extensiva es una producción vinculada al territorio con una elevada sostenibilidad, y entran por tanto en un enfoque agroecológico de la producción, con un manejo asociado a este tipo de producciones muy parecido al de las granjas ecológicas. El factor determinante para que las granjas requieran más mano de obra puede ser que las granjas sean negocios pequeños o familiares en producciones en extensivo con razas locales 106,107 . ...
... Another characteristic of goat farms, irrespective of the farming system, is their family structure. Farms are family run, the work force is made up mainly of family members and hardly any outside labour is hired [14,21,30]. ...
The aim of this review is to show the evolution of the dairy goat sector in Europe from all perspectives. Starting from the current situation, the challenges and future potential of this livestock system are presented, as well as strategies to overcome the difficulties faced. Europe holds 1.9% of the world goat population and produces 15.1% of goat milk recorded worldwide. The goat species plays a fundamental economic, social and environmental role in many regions of Europe. The wide diversity of production systems and autochthonous breeds makes the sector very heterogeneous. In order to improve viability, a number of strategies need to be adopted to solve the current problems such as a low profitability, absence of generational change and a little or no recognition of the social and environmental role of the sector. Some strategies to improve the situation of the European goat sector include: i) generating market value that will recognise the diversity of the dairy goat sector (breeds, feeding models, derived products…); ii) promoting and raising awareness of the functional attributes of goat milk and derived products so as to increase consumption; iii) assigning an economic value to environmental and social functions; iv) improving working conditions through technological innovation to make goat farming more attractive to young people; and v) processing more milk into cheese or other dairy products in production areas.
... Well managed pasture-based livestock systems have low feed costs and protect the environment but they are also demanding in terms of workforce, at least in the Mediterranean basin where small ruminants are frequently guided by a shepherd. This constitutes a threat for the continuity of farms, and certain improvements may be necessary to attract the interest of young farmers, such as: (i) better organization of work in farms to have more free time ; (ii) specific training in grazing livestock management (Bernués et al., 2011;Ruiz et al., 2011); (iii) new technological developments to assist shepherds (GPS, virtual fencing, etc.) (Ruiz-Mirazo et al., 2011b); or (iv) adoption of cooperative approaches for hiring and using workforce (Bernués, 2007;Ruiz et al., 2011). ...
... Well managed pasture-based livestock systems have low feed costs and protect the environment but they are also demanding in terms of workforce, at least in the Mediterranean basin where small ruminants are frequently guided by a shepherd. This constitutes a threat for the continuity of farms, and certain improvements may be necessary to attract the interest of young farmers, such as: (i) better organization of work in farms to have more free time ; (ii) specific training in grazing livestock management (Bernués et al., 2011;Ruiz et al., 2011); (iii) new technological developments to assist shepherds (GPS, virtual fencing, etc.) (Ruiz-Mirazo et al., 2011b); or (iv) adoption of cooperative approaches for hiring and using workforce (Bernués, 2007;Ruiz et al., 2011). ...
Several wildfire prevention programs in Spain are using grazing livestock to maintain fuelbreaks with low levels of biomass. Even though shepherds are remunerated for these services, many of their farms are hardly viable in the current socio-economic context. By analyzing 54 small ruminant farms participating in the Grazed Fuelbreak Network in Andalusia (southern Spain), this research aimed to identify the main types and characteristics of such farms and, considering the challenges they are facing, propose strategies to improve both their economic viability and their effectiveness in fuelbreak grazing. Based on data collected through a survey on key farm management aspects, a multivariate analysis was performed and four main types of farm were identified: two clusters of dairy goat farms and two composed mostly of meat-purpose sheep farms. Farms in all clusters could benefit from improvements in the feeding and reproductive management of livestock, either to enhance their productivity or to make better use of the pasture resources available. Dairy goat farms remain more dependent on external animal feed to ensure a better lactation, therefore they should either diminish their workforce costs per animal or sell transformed products directly to consumers to improve their economic viability. Best fuelbreak grazing results were related to larger flocks combining sheep and goats, lower ratios of fuelbreak surface area per animal, and longer (year-long) grazing periods on fuelbreaks. Therefore, such farm features and adjusted fuelbreak assignments should be favored in wildfire prevention programs using grazing services.
... On the other hand, the tough working conditions for shepherds have meant that the new generations of farmers avoid taking the animals out to pasture where possible. According to Ruiz et al. (2010), the daily working hours for a goat farm range from 11.1 h in farms where grazing is practised to 7.1 h for more intensive farms. Crop pressure has meant that the surface area of pastures has diminished, except in the case of the mountain range areas, as the conditions of the terrain make it impossible to grow crops there (Mena et al., 2005). ...
... In this study it can be observed how from 2002 to 2008 the number of farms with mechanised milking and cooling tanks has increased, as well as the supply of complete mixes. This has fundamentally been oriented towards improving milk quality and working conditions for the farmer (Castel et al., 2003;Ruiz et al., 2010). In order to finance these investments, the farmers used part of the farm profits (Sánchez-Rodríguez, 2006), and also in some cases resorted to financial aid (nonreturnable and loans) from the Administration for farm improvement and modernization (FSMAFF, 2001). ...
In recent decades there has been a worldwide increase in the intensification process of the livestock sector. This study looks into the changes that have taken place in goat farms in less favoured areas of Spain by comparing the situation of systems in the Northern Sierra of Seville (SNS), a traditional goat farming area in Spain, in the years 2002 and 2008. The information for this study was collected in 2002 and 2008, from a sample of 22 and 23 dairy goat farmers, respectively. A farm survey was conducted, composed of 95 items, grouped into the following sections: animal base, infrastructures and facilities, feeding, reproduction, milk production and animal health. For either of the two years of study a multivariate analysis has been conducted through a multiple correspondence analysis followed by a cluster analysis. Four groups have been identified for each year, showing a diverse range of farms whereby the most intensive farms coexist with those that continue to practise grazing. The following main changes have been observed throughout the study: (i) the herd size is increasing; (ii) the supply of concentrates and straw has increased significantly but use of forage has decreased; (iii) the lactation length has increased; (iv) milking facilities and feed distribution systems have been modernized; and (v) the animal health has substantially improved. Other important changes, although less significant, are the establishment of reproductive groups on the farms, genetic improvement of herds by absorbing the dairy breed Florida and improving goat productivity. Most changes have focused on intensifying the productive systems. Some drivers behind these changes are the loss of grazing as a feed source for goats, acceptable prices for the purchase of feeds during the period studied, the increase in milk demand from industry, EU aids and willingness of the farmers to improve their working conditions. Evolutions of purchase feed and sold milk prices together with EU agricultural policy evolution will determine the future of dairy goat production.
El impacto en el empleo de la transición agroecológica en España Informe
In order to determine whether organic production may be a viable option for goat farmers of the lower Mixteca region of Puebla, Mexico, in order to increase sustainability of their farms, we evaluated the extent to which these goat farms fulfill organic standards. Additionally, we revised their level of sustainability by calculating an Organic Livestock Conversion Index (OLCI) using 10 indicators and 36 variables. Information was obtained through two means: direct observation and a questionnaire applied to 119 goat farmers of six municipalities of the region. These goat farms principally consist of creole goats that graze in extensive communal rangelands and grasslands in non-arable lands with xerophytic vegetation, and their principal product is meat of adult goats. The goat farms had a moderate level of OLCI (48.0–53.6%) as well as a moderate level of sustainability (46.0–58%) for the goat farms included in this study). Five indicators showed limited compliance of the goat farms, with organic standards. Five showed a high level of compliance. The greater the OLCI value, the greater the sustainability of the goat farms. Increasing the level of compliance of the goat farms of the lower Mixteca region of Puebla, with the organic standards, which would in turn increase their level of sustainability, would require improving technical, social, environmental, and economic aspects of these farms, as well as co-responsibility in promoting sustainable organic goat farming by the different social actors involved (farmers, researchers, technical advisors, and policymakers).
Aim of study: To characterize and analyse the extensive livestock farming systems in environmental protected area and propose strategies for their sustainable improvement.
Area of study: Sierra Nevada Protected Area (Spain)
Material and methods: Data were collected from a sample of 85 farmers and 48 experts. The information from farmers was expressed in 35 variables, 23 of which were qualitative and 12 quantitative. A multivariate analysis was conducted.
Main results: The principal components explained 71.2% of the total variance and the k-means cluster analysis identified three groups: C1 (38 farms), medium-size farms with a predominance of goats and relative dairy specialization; C2 (12 farms), large-size farms with extensive grazing lands, a high proportion of meat purpose animals and managed by young and dynamic farmers and C3 (35 farms), medium-size farms with a high proportion of meat purpose animals and undeveloped business management. The main problems reported were: insufficient pastures for livestock, stagnation of product prices, lack of generational renewal and need for social recognition of livestock farming. These obstacles could be overcome by implementing measures aimed at improving feed self-sufficiency -and thus reduce production costs- increasing income through social recognition of farming, achieving product differentiation, and strengthening short marketing channels. This would be favoured by an increase in associationism and specialized training.
Research highlights: Farm management and marketing are important for improve these farming systems. The extensive livestock farming continues to be an important activity in European protected mountain areas.
Well-performing grazing systems play an important role in improving and maintaining environmental and social conditions of mountain areas. The aim of this paper is to analyze the relationship between the economic and social viability of pastoral goat farming systems and their feeding management schemes in order to improve their sustainability. Sixteen goat grazing farms in southern Spain were monitored monthly from January to December 2011, including 42 quantitative and 9 social variables. A multivariate two-step analysis was followed (principal component and cluster analysis) and three clusters were identified. Cluster 1 grouped small herd-size and low-productivity farms with low dependence on external inputs for animal feeding; Cluster 2 grouped medium herd-size and high-medium productivity farms which depended most on external inputs for animal feeding; Cluster 3 grouped large herd-size, high-medium productivity farms with low dependence on external inputs. There was no difference between Clusters 2 and 3 regarding milk productivity and there were few differences in terms of labor, economic or technical indicators. According to these results, these dairy goat pastoral farms could improve their profitability without increasing the use of purchased concentrates and forages. In general, farmers’ job satisfaction was high and no differences were observed between groups.
Goats are essential in mountainous areas where farms are under traditional grazing management. To conserve these rangeland systems it is important to gain knowledge of the feeding and reproductive management of the animals. 16 goat-grazing farms were monitored monthly. Using the indicator net energy percentage provided by grazing, the farms were classified into three groups: high, medium, and low grazing. The main strength of the pastoral farms was that the season with greatest supply of pasture coincided with the lactation of most breeding goats when energy requirements were highest. Farms that make more use of the pasture under this management and use goat breeds adapted to grazing can ensure their viability.
