Structural and Technological Characterization of Tropical Smallholder Farms of Dual-Purpose Cattle in Mexico.

Jaime Rangel,José Perea,Paula Toro Mujica,Marisa Feijoo,Cecilio Barba,Carmen De-Pablos-Heredero,Antón García,José Antonio Espinosa-García

doi:10.3390/ani10010086

Abstract

Dual-purpose cattle smallholder farms (DP) exhibit a critical economic situation. The objective of this research was building a typology for DP in tropical conditions and characterizing them technologically. This will help developing more effective public policies in DP farms located in tropical conditions. A sample of 1.475 farms located in the tropical area of Mexico was selected. The typology was built using multiple correspondence analysis (MCA). Subsequently, five groups were identified by a hierarchical cluster analysis with Ward's method. Groups 1 and 2, covered a 46.5% of the farms; these ones presented a small-scale productive model with low levels of technological adoption, improvements were mainly associated to the area of reproduction and genetics. Very small farms (Group 3) showed orientation to subsistence. They need to improve all the technological areas. Groups 4 and 5 (29.4% of the sample) were the biggest and more specialized farms. Group four farms were located in dry tropics and showed the highest levels of technological adoption in the areas of reproduction, management, and feeding. These farms require improvement in the areas of reproduction, animal health, and feeding. Group 5 farms were located in the wet tropics and showed specialization in reproduction, genetics, and animal health areas. In this last group, it is necessary to improve management and feeding areas.

Highlights

Livestock production in Latin-America is characterized by a high variability of climate and agro-ecologic conditions
The region under study presents a tropical climate with high temperatures; it is divided into two ecological zones: Dry tropic (DT) with an extended drought period that varies between five and nine months and less than 1200 mm of rainfall, and wet tropic (WT) with rainfalls over 1200 mm of rainfall distributed throughout the year [14]
multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) and cluster analysis have been shown to be a useful tool for the identification of productive implies an evolution process, from the productive intensification towards sustainable productivity systems in double purpose in Mexican tropical areas

Summary

Introduction

Livestock production in Latin-America is characterized by a high variability of climate and agro-ecologic conditions. Dual-purpose (DP) cattle production systems have been traditionally preferred by family farms in the tropics due to their great flexibility, the adaptation to the climate conditions, and less capital investment and technical support required than specialized milk production systems [3]. Dual-purpose constitutes a subsistence system and an important activity for the economic development of the smallholders in Latin America. It represents 70% of the total of livestock farmers from the tropical and subtropical regions. The need to increase the information on their functioning, improving their low level of technology adoption and the analysis of their apparent resistance to adopt more innovative strategies are amongst the main challenges of the small scale systems. Higher levels of technology adoption are associated with an increased competitiveness, sustainability, and viability of farms [8,9,10]

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Conclusion