Opportunities to Improve the Resilience of Extensive Sheep Farming in Huesca (Spain)

Review: Precision livestock farming, automats and new technologies: possible applications in extensive dairy sheep farming

This volume is a collection of twelve selected empirical studies on the economics of agriculture and natural resources. Twenty-two authors have contributed their research to this volume. Papers of this volume are grouped into three main domains, covering: Agricultural Resilience and Sustainability; Agricultural Producers and Consumers; and Energy Use in Agriculture. Organized in an analytical framework and offering comprehensive empirical data, this book focusses on agricultural sustainability and resilience, environmental efficiency, agricultural extension, foreign trade, energy use, and agricultural growth aspects of the Iranian agriculture sector.

Agricultural extension services play a crucial role in promoting technology adoption among farmers, leading to increased productivity and sustainable agricultural practices. This systematic review examines the structure, policies, and implementation of agricultural extension in Davao Oriental, focusing on the challenges and opportunities for technology adoption. Findings highlight the collaborative efforts between government agencies, such as the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), and private sector initiatives in delivering extension services. Policies and funding mechanisms, including the Agriculture and Fisheries Extension (AFE) Strategic Plan 2023-2028, have contributed to the development of localized extension programs. However, challenges such as limited financial resources, digital literacy gaps, and socio-cultural barriers hinder widespread adoption. This paper emphasizes the need for enhanced extension strategies, including digital and ICT-based platforms, participatory learning approaches, and financial support systems to encourage technology dissemination. Furthermore, community-based initiatives, such as cooperatives and peer learning networks, are recommended to strengthen knowledge sharing and confidence in new agricultural technologies. By addressing existing barriers and improving extension strategies, farmers in Davao Oriental can achieve long-term sustainability and resilience in agriculture.

Extensive farming systems form an integral part of sheep production systems across Europe. However, with innate production handicaps, declining sheep numbers and narrow economic margins, production is becoming increasingly challenging threatening the future sustainability of the industry. Gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) are a significant cause of production losses to the global sheep industry, with well-established resistance to the major anthelmintic groups. Traditionally, extensive farming systems are not thought to have a significant parasite challenge compared with intensive farms, but there is a need to identify the scale and importance of GINs on extensive farms to inform the need for sustainable control strategies. In this study, a questionnaire of extensive farmers (n=34) was conducted and parasitological data were collected from nine study farms to investigate the perceived versus actual GIN and anthelmintic resistance challenge faced by extensive farms. The results showed a production-limiting challenge on most farms, with a higher GIN challenge observed on improved pastures. Furthermore, over half of the extensive farmers perceived anthelmintic resistance to be a greater problem for intensive farmers, with only 20% of respondents reporting known anthelmintic resistance. However, all study farms had evidence of resistance to at least one group of anthelmintics. Consequently, this study has demonstrated that despite the traditional perception of parasitism on extensive farms, there is a need to increasingly consider its impact and take a proactive approach to sustainable control, with solutions tailored to their unique management.

Simple SummaryAnimal welfare is difficult to quantify, especially among farmers, in extensive rural sheep farms where there is a low level of animal interaction and a lack of technology. In this study, we searched for iceberg indicators of animal welfare using the Five Domains Model approach, and studied the relationship among sheep flight distance, sheep handling training and job satisfaction in extensive rural sheep systems. A structured survey was used to obtain socio-demographical, job satisfaction and sheep handling training data. A full animal welfare evaluation was performed on all farms; furthermore, a health status examination was also made in which blood and stool samples were taken. Four iceberg indicators were found with the potential to predict overall animal welfare scores on farms, and one to study state of mind in extensive rural sheep systems, as well as interactions among job satisfaction, training in sheep handling and sheep mind state.Animal welfare for sheep in extensive rural farms is difficult to quantify among rural farmers due to several factors, including the lack of technology and the low level of interaction they have with the animals. The purpose of this study was to search for animal-based iceberg indicators using the Five Domains Model approach and study the relationship between sheep reactive behavior (flight distance), sheep handling training and farmers job satisfaction. Thirteen extensive commercial dual-purpose sheep farms (n = 520 animals) were evaluated in Marulanda, Caldas (Colombia, South America). On-farm Animal Welfare Indicators (AWIN) were assessed using an adapted version of this protocol. Socio-demographic characteristics, sheep handling training and job satisfaction were evaluated using a structured interview. Blood and stool samples were taken to determine Fecal Egg Count and Packed Cell Volume. Bivariate regression models were used to find animal-based indicators that predicted Nutrition, Ambience, Health and Behavior welfare domains, and a Qualitative Behavior Analysis was used for mind state domain analysis. Body condition score (BCS) (p = 0.001), fleece cleanliness (p = 0.03), FAMACHA© Score (p = 0.05), and flight distance in meters (p = 0.19) were found to be indicators, and were useful for predicting overall welfare assessment (R2 = 0.85) on theses farms. Regarding mind welfare domain, Qualitative Behavioral Assessment found two principal components (PC) that explained 82% and 67% of the variance, and described emotional valence and energy levels of sheep, respectively. Sheep handling training (β = −8.75, p = 0.004) and job satisfaction (β = −7.5, p = 0.013) had a negative association with the average flock flight distance. Spearman’s rank correlations were significant (p < 0.001) between Fecal Egg Count, Packed Cell Volume, FAMACHA© Score (FS), Body Weight (BW) and, BCS. The strongest association was observed between Packed Cell Volume (PCV) and Fecal Egg Count (FEC) (r = −0.43), also FS was correlated with PCV (r = −0.28) and FEC (r = 0.21), and BCS was correlated with weight (r = 0.32). We suggest that these animal-based indicators could be useful as iceberg indicators for extensive sheep production systems and may set the ground for more research in small extensive sheep farms to develop strategies to find welfare problems and solutions.

This study explored the impact of agricultural extension and livelihood capital on the resilience of rice farmers in the food barn areas of the Karawang and Subang districts of West Java Province, Indonesia. These regions are crucial for national food security and are becoming increasingly vulnerable to climate risks. Using a mixed-methods approach, we collected data from 100 rice farmers to evaluate how agricultural extension influences three key dimensions of resilience: stabilization, adaptation, and transformation. The findings of this study provide a preliminary analysis showing that the implementation of extension by the government alone does not significantly impact farmers' resilience (p=0.7). The resilience capacity of rice farmers in the low category in both districts. However, a pluralistic approach could enhance farmer resilience regarding stabilization and adaptation capacity. Human and social capital significantly influenced rice farmer resilience (p=0.00 and p=0.007, respectively). The findings of this study underscore the importance of pluralistic extension models for enhancing farmers' resilience to climate change. This study contributes to understanding the significance of pluralistic extension services through dynamic interactions with livelihood capital, which can bolster the climate resilience of smallholder farmers in Southeast Asia.

Extensive sheep farming systems make an important contribution to socio-economic well-being and the ‘ecosystem services’ that flow from large areas of the UK and elsewhere. They are therefore subject to much policy intervention. However, the animal welfare implications of such interventions and their economic drivers are rarely considered. Under Defra project AW1024 (a further study to assess the interaction between economics, husbandry and animal welfare in large, extensively managed sheep flocks) we therefore assessed the interaction between profit and animal welfare on extensive sheep farms. A detailed inventory of resources, resource deployment and technical performance was constructed for 20 commercial extensive sheep farms in Great Britain (equal numbers from the Scottish Highlands, Cumbria, Peak District and mid-Wales). Farms were drawn from focus groups in these regions where participative research with farmers added further information. These data were summarised and presented to a panel of 12 experts for welfare assessment. We used two welfare assessment methods one drawn from animal welfare science (‘needs’ based) the other from management science (Service Quality Modelling). The methods gave complementary results. The inventory data were also used to build a linear programme (LP) model of sheep, labour and feed-resource management month-by-month on each farm throughout the farming year. By setting the LP to adjust farm management to maximise gross margin under each farm's circumstances we had an objective way to explore resource allocations, their constraints and welfare implications under alternative policy response scenarios. Regression of indicators of extensification (labour per ewe, in-bye land per ewe, hill area per ewe and lambs weaned per ewe) on overall welfare score explained 0.66 of variation with labour and lambs weaned per ewe both positive coefficients. Neither gross margin nor flock size were correlated with welfare score. Gross margin was also uncorrelated with these indicators of extensification with the exception of labour/ewe, which was negatively correlated with flock size and hence with gross margin. These results suggest animal welfare is best served by reduced extensification while greater profits are found in flock expansion with reduced labour input per ewe and no increase in other inputs or in productivity. Such potential conflicts should be considered as policy adjusts to meet the requirements for sustainable land use in the hills and uplands.

The vulnerability of extensive sheep systems in marginal areas, and their capacity to deliver important socio-economic functions and ecosystem services, can be studied through the lens of resilience theory. This research aims to explore how alternative farm management patterns contribute to build resilience in the extensive sheep farming system of Huesca, northeaster Spain. The methodology is based on the content analysis of in-depth interviews to farmers. We follow a specified framework based on the definition of the resilience capacities of robustness, adaptability and transformability, and propose to assess nine case-specific attributes. Results show that sheep farms have undertaken four management patterns to develop over time, namely, extensification, intensification, re-orientation, and conservation. Patterns conservation and extensification appear to promote robustness and adaptability necessary to keep delivering characteristic functions, whereas transformability is much more evident in re-orientation and intensification patterns that re-address the farms' original functions. Matching with natural resources, traditions and perspectives, and farmers' networks are crucial resilience attributes for extensive farming. On the other hand, financial and labour resources, and on-farm diversity favour re-orientation and intensification. The paper casts light on the diverse ways through which farms build their own resilience, and highlights the importance of a balanced development of alternative trajectories for the whole farming system's resilience.

ABSTRACTCapacity to weather economic shocks is often mediated by social identity, which in turn determines access to social, economic and physical capital. We study the repercussions of a large economic shock on access to agriculture inputs, agricultural extension, output markets, and the consequent effects on income and livelihoods in rural Nepal. We focus on heterogeneity by caste, gender, and household migration status, using panel survey data from 2300 maize farmers. We observe prolonged effects of the 2020 pandemic induced lockdowns on the incomes of farmers, driven in part by reduced remittances. The shock intensified inequalities in agriculture, especially for female farmers and farmers from disadvantaged caste groups. As the economic impacts of multiple crises continue, policy measures to support the agriculture sector should target disadvantaged farmers, while simultaneously implementing long term strategies to shield the agriculture sector from future shocks.

CONTEXTExtensive livestock farms in the EU operate in a context of increasing market liberalization and competition, changing consumer patterns and decreasing meat consumption, and increasing climate change-related risks. In turn, EU policy calls for better supporting extensive systems due to their numerous socio-ecological benefits and aims to improve the resilience of extensive livestock farms. OBJECTIVEThe research question underlying this paper is: which resilience capacities may help livestock farmers deal with different types of challenges? The specific research objectives are: 1) to quantify the resilience capacities of robustness, adaptability and transformability and the challenges as perceived by farmers; 2) to identify the main challenges affecting the perceived resilience capacities; and 3) to evaluate how perceived resilience capacities perform under alternative scenarios. METHODSThe paper relies on the use of data from a survey of 120 cattle and sheep farmers in Spain to study the latent property of resilience through farmers' perception. The methodology consists of mixed statistical methods to address the three specific objectives. First, descriptive statistics to quantify the perceived resilience capacities and challenges threatening farming systems; second, fitting Partial Least Square regressions to identify the main challenges affecting robustness, adaptability and transformability; and third, stochastically simulate challenging scenarios to predict the behavior of the three resilience capacities under different types of challenges. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSResilience capacities perform in different manners when dealing with challenges. Adaptability and transformability seem to be more effective under socio-economic long-term pressures. Robustness performs poorly under challenges either in the short- or long-run and appears to be more effective against economic and environmental challenges. Institutional challenges are the main threats to resilience, especially when it comes to reduced subsidies, restricted access to land, and subsidies-induced competition. SIGNIFICANCEThe paper's contribution consists of the empirical advances in understanding the resilience capacities and their ability to deal with different types of challenges, about which the literature offers little guidance. To this end, the paper proposes a quantitative methodological solution that is relevant considering the need for methodological progress towards resilience quantifications. Lastly, the paper may inform policymaking by bringing new evidence into the debate on the future of extensive livestock in the EU based on the case of Spanish cattle and sheep farms.

BackgroundThis study investigated the epidemiological and molecular aspects of dicrocoeliosis in extensive sheep farms.MethodsFrom 2013 to 2014, copromicroscopical analyses in 190 dairy sheep farms and anatomo-pathological inspections in six slaughterhouses were carried in Sardinia, Italy. Rectal faecal samples were analyzed using the FLOTAC® method, and anatomo-pathological examinations were based on detecting thickened terminal bile ducts (TTBDs). In addition, genetic analyses were conducted on representative DNA samples of adult Dicrocoelium spp.ResultsNinety-seven (51.1%) out of 190 sheep farms were coprologically positive for Dicrocoelium spp. In the liver, on the surface and cut surface, TTBDs were reported in 40.1% (309/770) and 15.3% (118/770) of the animals examined, respectively, with an overall prevalence of 25.5% (196/770). No intraspecific genetic variation was observed among the Dicrocoelium dendriticum isolates.ConclusionsOur survey reveals the widespread presence of D. dendriticum in Sardinia, although seasonal, geographical and climatic conditions might be key factors in modulating the infection prevalence. Examining typical lesions due to D. dendriticum in the liver in abattoirs can be used as a marker for tracking chronic dicrocoeliosis infection.

The main purpose of the paper is to highlight the millennial tradition of large-scale sheep husbandry in Romania (transhumance practices from the past) by adapting technologies, to preserve this extensive system, even nowadays. The second aim of the paper is to identify the medicinal plants used by shepherds as part of extensive sheep farming. The phytogeographical resources underlying the development of the pastoral landscape are natural pastures and hayfields. Their floristic composition includes numerous plant species with a beneficial role for the health and wellbeing of sheep. The research was conducted in the “Mărginimea Sibiului” area (Sibiu County), Romania, in the period 2016-2020. The employed methodology is complex and it is based, on the one hand, on the study and analysis of bibliographic resources and, on the other hand, on site visits to representative pastoral villages and interviews with shepherds who practised transhumance in the past. Data was collected from local and national authorities. Classical or traditional transhumance represents the seasonal movement of shepherds with sheep herds from the mountains to the plains in the autumn (from the 1st of October to the 1st of April) and back, in the spring, until the end of summer. It involves the movement of large herds (generally between 500 and 2000 head) of Ţurcana breed sheep, over distances between 100 and 500 km. The commute between the mountains and the plains is necessary in order to make efficient use of all available forage resources. The findings include the following: the number of sheep in Romania varied from 18,000 thousand head in 1985, to 14,062 thousand head in 1990, with the lowest value in 2001 (7,251 thousand head). After Romania joined the EU, the number increased, reaching 10,281 thousand head in 2020 (16.8% of the EU population). The distribution of sheep breeds in the country is the consequence of the shepherds’ long-term experience, being closely related to the landscape conditions and the pedoclimatic characteristics. In the areas with large herds of sheep, pastoral villages were formed, grouped into 4 main centres, as well as centres derived from them (in the south-eastern part of the country, namely Dobrogea, and in counties located in the western area). Regarding the use of medicinal plants from the spontaneous flora for animals, it can be stated that the literature cites 49 plant species identified in the area. Of these, only 33 plant species, belonging to 21 families, are used on sheep breeds. Key words: extensive farming, sheep husbandry, traditions, transhumance.

Three types of livestock farming systems are identified in Andalusian dehesas using multivariate analysis. One of two conservationist systems, both applying sustainable management criteria, was detected in most of farms: dehesa farming system (49% of farms): small extensive cattle and sheep farms, which adapt stocking rates to the availability of the lands natural resources, and occasional use of strategic food supplementation; mountain farming system (21%) also relative to small farms, with mainly small ruminants and limited use of technology. The third system was a yield targeted system (30%), corresponding mainly to large cattle farms, with greater use of technology and high levels of food supplementation caused by stocking rates that exceed the lands carrying capacity. Typology defined can be used as starting point to base technical and economic characterization of farming systems taking into consideration their current and future viability.

Almost a fourth of the total population is concentrated in the main five towns, while the rest of the population lives in small towns over quite an extensive area. Traditional economic activities consisted in extensive agriculture and sheep farming. In the last few decades, the coastal area, which was traditionally uninhabited, has become the focus of a substantial increase in tourism and consequent building activity. This context favoured two main landscape scenarios: (1) high urbanisation, both in the main towns and in some coastal areas, which sometimes has unfortunately disregarded the safeguarding of landscape, and (2) large areas of uninhabited land, mainly in the countryside, where uncontaminated plant and animal biodiversity predominates over human presence.

In this article, I present empirical evidence on the extent of crop diversification and assess its merits as a strategy for improving production efficiency in Afghanistan. The transformed Herfindahl–Harshman index is used to measure the scale and magnitude of crop diversification. I find a compelling evidence that diversifying production portfolios significantly improves production efficiencies. This finding is critical, given that the data show that nearly a third of the farm households do not diversify, achieving, on average, about 52% of potential revenues. The estimated efficiency scores reveal that, on average, the farm households in our analytical sample of over 7,000 households achieve 74% of potential revenue, with nearly 15% of households realizing less than 50% and about 23% between 50% and 70% of potential revenue. These results infer that there exist substantial inefficacies in agricultural production that can be eliminated by employing improved management practices without having to use additional inputs and production resources and rising cost of production. Our results are robust to potential endogeneity bias in crop diversification; I account for the endogeneity problem in the stochastic frontier analysis, by employing a recent estimation approach, using instrumental variable techniques. Mapping the spatial distribution of crop diversification index and estimated efficiency scores across the country revealed that districts with higher diversification levels correspond to higher efficiency indices. Aside from crop diversification, other socio-economic factors also have critical implications for efficiency; households with access to farm assets (such as land, cattle, oxen and tractor) and extension services appear to realize substantially higher production efficiencies. A direct policy recommendation that can be generated from the findings of this study is that crop diversification should be given more recognition by policymakers to enhance productivity and resilience in agriculture.