Abstract
The aim of this study was to analyze technical and economic indicators of family milk production systems, with different technology levels, in the Caiuá sandstone area in Northwestern Paraná, Brazil. The analysis period covers the agricultural years 2002/2003 to 2013/2014. The categorization of the milk production systems was based on information from agricultural farms monitored by the Reference Network for Family Agriculture. The cost-benefit analysis method was used for the economic assessment of milk production. Based on the results, three family milk production systems were identified in the region, characterized by the use of low, medium and high intensification technologies for pasture management. The production costs per unit area were found to be higher in the system with high technology and lower in the system with low technology. However, although the total revenue in the production system with a high technological intensification is greater than in the other systems, the capital needed for a technological transition is higher. In all the systems, when the costs were deducted, including the return on family labor, there was a profit, even with the climate and soil constraints inherent in the region.
Highlights
The production of bovine milk has significant importance for Brazilian agribusiness
Dairy farming in Paraná is mainly undertaken on family farms, based in small agricultural establishments
The farms differ according to the degree of intensification of pasture management
Summary
The production of bovine milk has significant importance for Brazilian agribusiness. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO, 2018), in 2016, the country was the fourth largest milk producer in the world. In the state of Paraná, there has been great technological development in milk production (Bazotti, Nazareno, & Sugamosto, 2012; Ferrazza, Lopes, de Moraes, & Pascoti Bruhn, 2015; Parré, Bánkuti, & Zanmaria, 2011) This is associated with organizational technical factors, such as collaboration between teaching, research and extension institutions, in addition to credit associations, the use of specialized labor, the selection of a herd with greater productivity and an active cooperative structure (Passetti, Eiras, Gomes, Santos, & Prado, 2016). There is a great heterogeneity between the producing regions (Capucho & Parré, 2012; Telles, Bacchi, & Shimizu, 2017) and the respective milk producers in Paraná (Lange et al, 2016; Neumann et al, 2016; Passetti et al, 2016) This difference is primarily characterized by the adoption of production techniques, feed supplementation for the dairy herd and genetic enhancements. Dairy farming in Paraná is mainly undertaken on family farms, based in small agricultural establishments
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