SHEEP AND GOAT PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN THE SERTAO REGION OF NORTHEAST BRAZIL: A CHARACTERIZATION AND LINEAR PROGRAMMING ANALYSIS
Abstract
The multidisciplinary research group working on sheep and goat improvement in Northeast Brazil faces questions related to specific characteristics of the production system under which small ruminants are produced, setting research priorities and answering fundamental questions related to the economic and biological performance of traditional versus improved systems of production. The purpose of this study was to describe and quantify existing small ruminant production systems in the Sertao region of Ceara state; to develop a bioeconomic model which incorporates the major components of the farming systems under which small ruminants are produced in this region; and to evaluate the traditional production system and demonstrate potential uses of the model for assessing the economic impact of improved technologies for producing sheep and goats. The descriptive part used a 1980 baseline survey of sheep and goat producers in this region. A total of 127 farms were surveyed. Average farm size was 680 ha. with most farms having mixed crop-livestock systems, large areas of native and cleared caatinga and much smaller areas of improved pastures. More than 90 percent of surveyed farms had cattle. Thirty-three sheep and/or goat producers were selected from the baseline sample for periodical visits (four per year). The bioeconomic linear programming model (690 activities, 288 rows) developed to analyze sheep and goat production at the whole farm level has four major components: crops, animal feed production, livestock production, and home consumption. A calendar year divided into four quarters captures seasonal effects. Net cash income is maximized subject to constraints on resource endowment, home consumption requirements, capital and credit limitations. Inventories of cattle, sheep and/or goats are determined by quarter and also the optimal livestock activities (breeding, growing, fattening). The optimal age for sale and purchase when fattening occurs is indicated. Crops, areas planted and the cropping system (monoculture or mixed cropping) are determined. Model performance was illustrated with analysis of an average traditional farm, several technology changes and, finally, two weather conditions.
Degree
Ph.D.
Subject Area
Agricultural economics
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