The Algerian steppe rangelands especially located in the southern region of Tlemcen province, the primary areas for extensive sheep farming, play a crucial role in the national agricultural economy. However, the inadequate management of water resources for the country’s development is frequently neglected by local authorities. It is essential to quantify and manage this resource as rigorously as possible. The study area, covering approximately 3200 km2, includes five municipalities (Sebdou, Sidi Djilali, El Gor, El Bouihi, El Aricha) in the southern region of Tlemcen province (Algeria). The main objective of this study is to locate (georeferencing) all existing water points managed by the government (boreholes, wells, springs, etc.) and characterise their flow rate, depth, etc., in order to insure a sustainable management of the water resource. Over 119 water points have been identified, located and integrated into a database within a geographic information system (GIS) to create a georeferenced database. Moreover, the results (the database) are used for further spatial analysis using the k-means clustering algorithm. By applying this unsupervised classification method, the study successfully delineates clusters of water points that require similar management strategies. The resulting maps are intended to support local decision-makers in implementing more effective and sustainable water resource management practices tailored to the specific characteristics of each zone.

In this study, an empirical analysis was applied to measure the efficiency level of dairy farms in Cyprus and estimate the capacity of sheep farmers to support the increasing demand for halloumi cheese. Data Envelopment Analysis was used on data from 50 dairy sheep farms in Cyprus, which operate under extensive, semi-intensive, and intensive systems. The main features of the most efficient farms are presented, and a comparative financial analysis is implemented between the efficient and less efficient farms. The results indicate room for improvement in extensive and semi-intensive dairy sheep farming and verify that the transition that takes place in sheep farming towards more intensive systems constitutes the optimal approach. The most efficient farms operate under semi-intensive and intensive dairy sheep farming and achieve higher milk yields than the farms operating under extensive systems. Feeding constitutes the main cost driver, exceeding 60% in both efficient and inefficient farms, while labor wages and fixed capital cost varies between 25% and 30% of the total production cost for both efficiency groups. The findings indicate that the farms should utilize economies of scale to reduce production costs and utilize fixed capital endowments at full capacity.

Introduction: Sheep farming in Southern Patagonia was based on the extensive use of natural grasslands in a scenario where grassland productivity accompanies the variability of weather conditions and soil water availability. One of the important indicators of extensive sheep farming is the percentage of indicated. Important guidelines are to provide an adequate nutritional plan to ensure success in achieving the percentage of live weight of adults’ live weight at the time of first service and to reduce physical losses to the lowest possible values. Methodology: In the southern region of Santa Cruz, a valid alternative to improve the productive performance of young sheep and reduce animal losses consists of strategic grazing of pastures introduced with perennial grasses. This alternative, due to the characteristics of the environment, also implies paying attention to the productivity, phenological state, and quality of the resource for correct grazing planning. Results: In this experience, comparative results of two grazing experiences were evaluated and presented on two pastures based on introduced grasses with Corriedale and Corriedale x Dhone Merino replacement lambs in two different sites and resources. Conclusion: The potential of the resource as an alternative to mitigate physical losses and improve the live weight of the animal in short-time grazing is indicated, where the responses depending on the initial body condition vary, with the lower ones having the greatest response.

Abstract The recovery of large carnivores in Europe raises issues related to sharing landscape with humans. Beyond technical solutions, it is widely recognized that social factors also contribute to shaping coexistence. In this context, scholars increasingly stress the need to adopt place‐based approaches by analysing how humans and wildlife interact and co‐adapt in specific landscapes. In the burgeoning field of ‘more‐than‐human’ geography, both humans and non‐humans are considered as co‐constitutive of places. According to this tradition, animals should not simply be seen as objects under human control but approached as powerful actors in multi‐species landscapes. By tracking how brown bear recovery in the French Pyrenees has shaped different places of encounters with pastoralists (i.e. farmers and shepherds in extensive sheep farming in mountain pastures during summer), this paper discusses what coexistence means when viewed through the lens of more‐than‐human geography. We use an in‐depth, retrospective and multi‐sources approach to describe the inter‐relationships of bears and pastoralists on three mountain pastures since the return of bears at the end of the 1990s. Semi structured interviews, participant observation, administrative and institutional data about bear depredation and genetics, as well as pastoral practices form the basis of an integrated narrative analysis. Our study reveals how the return of a large carnivore has produced three different, singular, context‐specific coexistence ‘patches’. Each of these three pastures represent a distinct landscape dynamically shaped over time by bears, pastoralists and the rest of biotic and abiotic environment. Specifically, we demonstrate how various factors—the individual behaviour of bears, their movement and reproduction capacity, the number of depredations, the pastoralists' histories, their collective organization, the choices they made, the pastures' features, the available resources and surrounding vegetation—cumulatively intertwine in complex, place‐specific entanglements. Policy implications. Our results suggest that coexistence should not be conceptualized as global, top down and standardized. Instead it is shaped by patches in which humans and non‐humans interact in specific ways. Therefore, fostering coexistence means acknowledging the full diversity of situations in which people and wildlife write their own place‐based, more‐than‐human histories. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Mountain ecosystems are unique and complex environments characterised by their high altitudes, steep slopes, and significant climatic variations [...].

Background: This study examines small ruminant production systems in Northern Jordan, where they play a crucial role in agriculture and support local livelihoods. Methods: A survey of 290 small ruminant holders was conducted from April 2022 to August 2023, employing descriptive and multivariate analyses using XLSTAT and TANAGRA software to explore socioeconomic traits, management practices and feeding strategies related to the production period of 2021. Result: The results showed that there was variability in small ruminant production systems. More than half of small ruminant holders utilized semi-extensive methods and focused on cash sales. Factors such as labor distribution, animal replacement strategies and housing practices differed among climate regions and governorates. The typological analysis revealed clusters of small ruminant holders based on criteria such as labor management (4% of small ruminant holders), animal replacement strategies (42%), market-oriented production systems (6%), extensive commercial sheep farming (30%) and experienced farmers with medium flock sizes (17%). This study provides valuable insights into the small ruminant production systems in Northern Jordan, informing future strategies for enhancing productivity and sustainability in the region.

Around 10.5 million tonnes of sheep milk are produced worldwide, and around 3.1 million tonnes in Europe. In Europe, sheep milk production has stagnated slightly in recent years and currently accounts for around 1/3 of the global production. Due to its high content of dry matter, milk fat, total protein and casein, sheep milk is an excellent raw material for cheese production. Milk processing and cheese making are not only economically important, but also part of the cultural heritage based on a long tradition, often taking place in rural and less developed areas. Milk production and quality are very complex and are influenced by numerous factors, the most important of which are breed, feeding and body condition, parity and stage of lactation, milking and udder health, and environmental factors. In addition, different types of stress such as heat stress, nutritional stress, weaning stress, shearing stress, stress of regrouping, etc. have a significant impact on the welfare and health of the sheep as well as on the quantity of milk produced, its chemical composition, processing characteristics and the economic efficiency of the flock. In recent years, due to climate change, there has been an increasing number of studies on the effects of heat stress on the reproductive and production characteristics of sheep, as well as on their welfare and health. In addition, heat stress is often associated to the feed and the lack of water. The effects of stress are particularly pronounced in extensive sheep farming and milk production, which are prevalent in sheep farming. The aim of this paper is to describe the effects of the main types of stress on the quantity and chemical composition of sheep milk and on animal welfare.

The main domains of housing management practices followed by Kenguri sheep farmers were analyzed during the research. Twenty sheep farms in intensive and extensive were pointed out based on the accessibility in the respective study location Yadgir (Northern Eastern dry agro-climatic zone) district of Karnataka, India. The examination was carried out during the months of January to February in the year 2022. The objectives of housing practices were assessed by computing frequency percentage values and average descriptive values. The majority of intensive sheep farmers had wooden type of flooring (60.00%) and whereas, mud flooring (100.00%) is the only option for extensive sheep farmers. All intensive sheep farms had galvanized roofing (100.00%), in contrast all extensive sheep farms were with no roofing. Sheep in intensive rearing had trough water sources (45.00%) majorly and in extensive rearing they had natural water source (70.00%) accessibility. Most of the intensive sheep farmers maintained proper commercial feed (60.00%) access for the sheep, but fodder (65.00%) was the key food type for sheep reared under an extensive system. The advantage of fans for better ventilation (40.00%) was seen in intensive rearing systems, whereas, only natural ventilation (100.00%) was observed in extensive rearing system. The good space availability and pen dimensions are the only concerns with an intensive rearing system. The outcomes of this work will help the sheep farmers become accustomed to the better housing management practices in the near times.

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.

Extensive sheep farming systems provide numerous ecosystem services, most of which consumers are not aware of. Consumers’ subjective quality perception relates to intrinsic and extrinsic quality attributes. Extrinsic quality attributes, like animal welfare, conservation of biodiversity, and regional and sustainable lamb meat production, meet the expectations of meat consumers. Communication of quality attributes can support consumers’ willingness to buy and pay a premium price, as well as producers’ economic viability. Previous studies focused on consumers’ perception of intrinsic quality attributes, while it is our objective to analyse the target group-specific communication of extrinsic quality attributes of extensive sheep farming. An online survey with 387 valid respondents included lamb meat consumers in Berlin-Brandenburg and revealed their consumption patterns. The sample is representative of Berlin-Brandenburg in net household income, population division and gender, while academics and respondents over 50 years were overrepresented. The survey addressed demographics, meat consumption and purchasing behaviour, preferences for different lamb meat products, purchasing motives and barriers, perception of communication messages and personal initiative for the purchase of regional lamb. Via Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Cluster Analysis, we identified two key target groups for regionally produced lamb meat: “Foodies” and “Cooking enthusiasts”. Guided by Alphabet theory with its specific focus on Knowledge, Information seeking behaviour and purchasing Habit, we derive recommendations for target-group-specific communication of regionally produced lamb meat. “Foodies” showed a high potential for direct marketing and personal storytelling of sheep farmers. “Cooking enthusiasts” are best addressed through print and online marketing with a focus on cooking and personal health.

The agricultural sector has historically been the forefront economic sector in Turkey and is crucial for the rural sustainability and the pastures that are critical for biodiversity. However, inadequate policies and factors such as climate change and malpractices result in brittle pastures, rural–urban migration, and a declining agricultural sector. Also, pastures have been left without function and appropriated to other land uses such as quarries, energy power plants, and mines. Although the husbandry sector produces significant greenhouse gas emissions, pastures have a significant capacity of CO2 sequestration. In this study, Life cycle assessment (LCA) is applied to quantify the advantages and disadvantages of the transition between extensive and intensive production. The methodology presents a holistic analysis of the several impact categories and amounts of relevant products, services, and resource emissions along their life cycles. In order to assess the environmental effects of the lamb meat production, three sheep breeding systems in Turkey are evaluated. The study aims to promote a sustainable use of natural resources/assets without compromising the quality, competitiveness, or animal welfare and obtain recommendations for the future husbandry systems and rural development in Turkey. As an overall result, it can be stated that the intensification of sheep farming can lead to a decrease of greenhouse gas emissions per kg of meat. However, extensive sheep farming shows less impacts on soil acidification or eutrophication and can even be beneficial for erosion resistance or biodiversity if properly managed.

The terrestrial climate is not sufficient to produce enough food to meet the roughage needs of the animals benefiting from the pasture lands because of excessive and early grazing of those areas. Plant growth is adversely affected in pastures that are not uniformly grazed. Tracking animals using the Global Positioning System (GPS) is a very important factor in determining the uniform distribution of grazing animals in a pasture, increasing the utilization rate of the pasture, and saving costs and time. With GPS tracking systems, establishing more effective pasture-use systems by monitoring the feeding regimes of small animals, the status of feed in the pasture, and the grazing behavior of the animals would be possible. The present study aimed to investigate the use of GPS for pasture and herd management in Turkey in addition to using the traditional techniques.In the present study conducted in the village of Köseyusuflu in Yozgat Province in May 2017, 2018, and 2019, grazing benefits that were determined from the pasture containing two Akkaraman sheep herds were recorded using GPS tracking devices. The results suggested that the area covered with vegetation along the sheep’s spring grazing routes varied between 43.6 and 62.9%, the ratio of legumes in the pasture grass in the low grazing areas was between 0.50 and 4.10%, and the grass species were between 12.75 and 44.50%. We determined that the sheep in herd A traveled between 7.6 and 9.9 km, while the sheep in herd B traveled between 4.7 and 5.7 km daily, and the two herds grazed an average of between 122 and 254 daa.

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.

The beginnings of sheep and goat production go back to the dawn of human civilization. In the geographical areas where the first human civilizations began to develop, the domestication of sheep from wild animals that lived there began. The first domesticated animals did not differ much from their original forms and changes in morphological and production characteristics followed later during the development of sheep and goat production. Significant contributions to the development of these branches of animal husbandry were made by ancient world cultures such as Egyptian, Greek, and Roman. Changes in production were formed specifically to meet the needs of specific products such as wool, meat and milk. In this process, significant morphological modifications have occurred, such as changes in hair in wool in sheep, changes in the skin, deposition of adipose tissue, horn lessness and so on. In addition to this, there was a differentiation of breeds in accordance with the production goals that were primary, so that meat, dairy and wool production types were singled out. Along with the processes of differentiation of production types, a large number of breeds have developed, mainly according to geographical distribution. New breeds have characteristics that have been developed under the influence of man and are based on specialized or combined production of milk, meat and wool. In Europe, sheep production accounts for a significant share of total livestock production, especially in countries where cattle production has been reduced due to various geographical factors. In sheep and goat production in Europe, the leading countries are the Mediterranean countries, which have developed traditional sheep and goat products of high economic value. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, sheep and goat production are not at a satisfactory level. It is mostly about extensive sheep and goat farming without organized and systemic solutions to the problems in this production. The breed composition in Bosnia and Herzegovina is based mostly on strains of the autochthonous pramenka breed without organized selection work. Typically, sheep and goat products should be based on different technological processes such as the production of meat, milk, wool and combined output. The breeding system itself is based on the breeding of purebred breeding heads and the breeding of commercial heads for production and the market. An important element of breeding is reproduction, since these are seasonal animals whose mating season is in the fall. In order to increase the productivity and accumulativeness of these branches of livestock production, the method of estrus synchronization using various hormonal preparations is applied. Defining breeding goals is the main starting point when it comes to any livestock production, so this is the case with sheep and goat breeding. Animal selection is carried out in accordance with breeding goals. In addition to economic importance, sheep and goat production play an important role as an ecological factor in the use, preservation and conservation of pastures.

Assessment of a decision-making model in meat sheep cooperatives in SW Spain

Finding pathways to more sustainability and resilience of farming systems requires the avoidance of exceeding critical thresholds and the timely identification of viable alternative system configurations. To serve this purpose, the objective of this paper is to present a participatory, integrated and indicator-based methodology that leads researchers and farming system actors in six steps to a multi-dimensional understanding of sustainability and resilience of farming systems in the future. The methodology includes an assessment of current performance (Step 1), identification of critical thresholds whose exceedance can lead to large and permanent system change (Step 2), impact assessment when critical thresholds are exceeded (Step 3), identification of desired alternative systems and their expected improved performance of sustainability and resilience (Step 4), identification of strategies to realize those alternative systems (Step 5), and an assessment on the compatibility of alternative systems with the developments of exogenous factors as projected in different future scenarios (Step 6). The method is applied in 11 EU farming systems, and the application to extensive sheep production in Huesca, Spain, is presented here, as its problematic situation provides insights for other farming systems. Participants in the participatory workshop indicated that their farming system is very close to a decline or even a collapse. Approaching and exceeding critical thresholds in the social, economic and environmental domain are currently causing a vicious circle that includes low economic returns, low attractiveness of the farming system and abandonment of pasture lands. More sustainable and resilient alternative systems to counteract the current negative system dynamics were proposed by participants: a semi-intensive system primarily aimed at improving production and a high-tech extensive system primarily aimed at providing public goods. Both alternatives place a strong emphasis on the role of technology, but differ in their approach towards grazing, which is reflected in the different strategies that are foreseen to realize those alternatives. Although the high-tech extensive system seems most compatible with a future in which sustainable food production is very important, the semi-intensive system seems a less risky bet as it has on average the best compatibility with multiple future scenarios. Overall, the methodology can be regarded as relatively quick, interactive and interdisciplinary, providing ample information on critical thresholds, current system dynamics and future possibilities. As such, the method enables stakeholders to think and talk about the future of their system, paving the way for improved sustainability and resilience.

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.

Economic risk assessment of the quality labels and productive efficiency strategies in Spanish extensive sheep farms

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.

Abstract The high plateaus of eastern Morocco are already suffering from the adverse impacts of climate change (CC), as the local populations’ livelihoods depend mainly on extensive sheep farming and therefore on natural resources. This research identifies breeders’ perceptions about CC, examines whether they correspond to the recorded climate data and analyses endogenous adaptation practices taking into account the agroecological characteristics of the studied sites and the difference between breeders’ categories based on the size of owned sheep herd. Data on perceptions and adaptation were analyzed using the Chi-square independence and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Climate data were investigated through Mann-Kendall, Pettitt and Buishand tests.Herders’ perceptions are in line with the climate analysis in term of nature and direction of observed climate variations (downward trend in rainfall and upward in temperature). In addition, there is a significant difference in the adoption frequency of adaptive strategies between the studied agroecological sub-zones (χ2 = 14.525, p &lt;.05) due to their contrasting biophysical and socioeconomic conditions, as well as among breeders’ categories (χ2 = 10.568, p &lt; .05) which attributed mainly to the size of sheep flock. Policy options aimed to enhance local-level adaptation should formulate site-specific adaptation programs and prioritise the small-scale herders.