Structural and technological changes in cattle production in central-South Corrientes, Argentina, between 2005 and 2015

Abstract

Livestock production is one of the main economic activities in Corrientes province, Argentina. Therefore, understanding its dynamics is essential to design and implement efficient development programs. The objective of this study was to quantify the structural, technological and production changes in livestock systems in Corrientes, during the period 2005-2015. In these years, data on production area, animal stocks, number of workers, herd management and production parameters were collected from 29 farms. Average and farm-level transformations were characterized through test for mean differences, test of proportions and correlation analysis. Then, a multiple correspondence analysis was used to determine changes in components of variance. Finally, clusters were formed to characterize the diversity of farms existing at the end of the study period. On average, most variables showed slight changes. Nonetheless, substantial changes were detected on individual cases. Farms specialized in cattle tended to intensify their production, while those with lower number of workers tended to increase the amount of labor employed. The results also showed that larger farms improved feeding and reproductive management of the herd, which improved weaning percentages. At the end of the study period, two types of farms with distinct sizes and technologies were identified, but reproductive and productive performances were similar for both groups.