Characterization and typification of dehesa farms associated to cooperatives: A case study in Spain

Abstract

The objective was to characterize and typify a group of dehesa farms associated to a cooperative dedicated to the fattening, slaughtering and trading of beef cattle, by studying the production systems of the different farm typologies. One hundred and fourteen (114) farms were surveyed, collecting data on the characteristics of labor, herd, territorial basis and cattle management. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analyses were used to understand the relationships among variables and to define farm typologies. In general, farms are small-sized (224 ha), land-owned (73 %) and family-run (61 %). Most farms have several livestock species, highlighting beef cattle-Iberian pig (53 %) and beef cattle-sheep-Iberian pig (25 %) associations. Production intensification is widespread, as reflected in the average rate of cultivated area (47 % of arable land) and stocking rate (0.73 livestock units/ha). There is an important variability among farms. Four (4) farm typologies were stablished varying on farm size, production diversification strategies and management practices. The most numerous typology is that of the smallest farms (122 ha). Large farms are not associated to the cooperative, or have left it, because they have better possibilities for fattening and trading of calves at individual level than small farms.