Organic milk production in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil

Abstract

This research constitutes the first overview of the organic milk production chain in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The main objective is to identify the profile of the producers, as well as their motivations and difficulties of remaining in the sector, plus to characterize the production units. Data were obtained through interviews with producers by a semi-structured questionnaire, from April to December of 2019. Data analysis was performed in a descriptive and exploratory manner, with a quantitative and qualitative approach. The average size of properties was about 149.5 hectares. The daily average of milk production was 194.3 L/day. As for properties, 86% used mechanized milking and adopted forage and concentrate supplementation for lactating cows. It was found that obtaining organic inputs for animal feed is the most challenging difficulty for producers. Nevertheless, there was a low utilization of some areas on the properties, which could be used for the production of these organic inputs (voluminous and concentrated), and contribute to their self-sufficiency. This research constitutes the first overview of the organic milk production chain in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The main objective is to identify the profile of the producers, as well as their motivations and difficulties of remaining in the sector, plus to characterize the production units. Data were obtained through interviews with producers by a semi-structured questionnaire, from April to December of 2019. Data analysis was performed in a descriptive and exploratory manner, with a quantitative and qualitative approach. The average size of properties was about 149.5 hectares. The daily average of milk production was 194.3 L/day. As for properties, 86% used mechanized milking and adopted forage and concentrate supplementation for lactating cows. It was found that obtaining organic inputs for animal feed is the most challenging difficulty for producers. Nevertheless, there was a low utilization of some areas on the properties, which could be used for the production of these organic inputs (voluminous and concentrated), and contribute to their self-sufficiency.