Characterization of cattle farming systems and determinants of milk productivity in the province of Vélez, Santander (Colombia)
Keywords:
Multivariate analysis, livestock systems, dairy production, modernization of milking practicesAbstract
Cattle production systems in the province of Vélez (Santander) are essential for food security, rural employment and territorial stability. However, they face constraints associated with low productivity, soil degradation and poor technical assistance, which restricts progress towards sustainable systems and participation in breeding programmes. Against this backdrop, a comprehensive characterization was carried out aimed at identifying the productive, technical and socioeconomic structure of livestock systems and the factors that determine dairy productivity, as a basis for transition processes towards sustainable models. A semi-structured survey was applied to 146 producers in the municipalities of Bolívar, Chipatá, Cimitarra, Guavatá, El Peñón, Landázuri, La Paz, Puente Nacional and Vélez. Information related to the socioeconomic, technical, productive and biophysical components of the productive units was collected. Data was analyzed using multivariate analysis using Redundancy Analysis. The analysis showed that milk productivity is determined by the integration between structural, management and human factors, where the productive scale and the technification of milking directly influence the efficiency of the system. More technical systems achieve higher yields, highlighting the need to strengthen forage planning and human resource management.
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