Diversity in the Dry Land Mixed System and Viability of Dairy Sheep Farming

Abstract

Castilla La Mancha is a Spanish region where sheep farming system is traditionally pasture-based. Recently, this territory has undergone a recession of dairy sheep activity, which changed the type and intensity of land utilization and led to environmental and landscape degradation. The present study analyzed the diversity and viability of dairy sheep of mixed systems. Multivariate analysis was conducted on 157 dairy sheep farms, factor analysis selected 3 productivity factors (level of intensification, land use, size and family labour), and cluster analysis classified farms into three groups. Group 1, smallholders – with the smallest size (405.5 ewes and 564.7 ha), lowest area in ownership (1.5%), and agriculture activity (6.5% crops area): family farms (90.8%) highly dependent on external inputs. Group 2, large-scale farms (1058.7 ewes and 1755.1 ha) – with the lowest stocking rate (0.14 livestock unit/ha) and productivity: non-family farms (39.1%) with low area in ownership (4.1%) and agriculture activity (7.6%). Group 3, mixed-technified – with the highest levels of technology and least use of family labour (27.0%): large-scale farms (1387.4 ewes and 955.8 ha), combining milk production with agricultural activities (55.7% crops area), with the highest area in ownership (63.1%) and the best productivity performance. In conclusion, the dry land mixed system of Castilla La Mancha showed diversity of farms. Improving viability requires a systemic approach where the key tool is grazing, allowing the mixed system to be consolidated as a model that enhances the positive impact of livestock on the environment in the Mediterranean basin.