The Contribution of Traditional Meat Goat Farming Systems to Human Wellbeing and Its Importance for the Sustainability of This Livestock Subsector

Traditional meat goat farming systems are characterized by rearing autochthonous breeds and using natural resources through grazing, often within protected natural areas. In a context of reduction of the number of farms, due to the low income derived from the sale of kids, the role of those systems as suppliers of presently non-remunerated ecosystem services becomes more relevant. The objective of this article is to analyze the current situation of those systems, focusing on their connection with human wellbeing, and to formulate proposals that can contribute to guaranteeing their profitability and continuity. A technical-economic and environmental study of a sample of farms and an analysis of the limiting factors affecting the subsector were carried out. As a result, a set of multifactorial problems was identified, with the lack of acknowledgement and remuneration of some services—mainly environmental and cultural—provided by those systems and the low selling price of kids standing as the main threats. The consideration of meat goat farms as “producers of meat of high functional quality and providers of ecosystem services”, which should be properly quantified and remunerated, would contribute to their preservation and guarantee the provision of benefits associated with the activity

Fat- and protein-corrected milk formulation to be used in the life-cycle assessment of Mediterranean dairy goat systems

The aim of this paper is to develop a new specific algorithm (fat- and protein-corrected milk calculation) for dairy goat to be used in life-cycle assessment (LCA) studies. Though the contribution of goat milk to world milk production ranks third, the literature does not report any specific correction for goat's milk. Using the available bibliographic data, a multiple regression was performed that allowed obtaining the relationship between the energy content (EC) and the fat (FC) and protein content (PC) of dairy goat milk. The multiple regression resulting from the 3 variables analyzed through the data drawn from the literature was significant (R2= 0.99; p ≤ 0.001). The equation resulting from the correlation was used to develop algorithms for the calculation of fat- and protein-corrected milk (FPCM) at specific FC and PC. Since FC and PC are very different depending on the goat breed two different groups have been defined: i) goat breeds with FC in milk below 4% (FCB4), and ii) goat breeds with FC in milk above 4% (FCA4). The EC found for the FCB4 group (FC = 3.70 and PC = 3.27) was 728.11 kcal kg−1, while that of the FCA4 group (FC = 4.92 and PC = 3.61) was 860.69 kcal kg−1. After substituting the EC values obtained before, the resulting FPCM equations to calculate specific FC and PC by unit of mass (kg of milk = M), according to each group, are shown below: FCB4 group = FPCM (FC = 3.70, PC = 3.27) = M * [(0.12 * FC + 0.10 * PC + 0.23)]; FCA4 group = FPCM (FC = 4.92, PC = 3.61) = M * [(0.10 * FC + 0.08 * PC + 0.20)]. Finally, the variation between the FPCM values calculated using the specific equation obtained in this study for goats and those previously published (for sheep or modifications made from dairy cattle) was evaluated; in FCB4 group the differences varied between (-) 32% and (+) 14% and in FCA4 group between (-) 21% and (+) 35%. Values are overestimated if sheep's FPCM calculations are used (because sheep milk has higher fat content than goat milk) and underestimated if dairy cattle's FPCM calculations are used (because cow milk has lower fat content than goat milk). In conclusion, the results found in the present study show the need to use a specific FPCM formulation in the LCA equation for goat's milk.Unión Europea, Junta de Andalucía GOP21-GR-16-001

A Comparative Analysis of Carbon Footprint in the Andalusian Autochthonous Dairy Goat Production Systems

The small ruminant livestock sector faces the challenge of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Carbon footprint (CF) studies on dairy goats, the most widely used indicator to quantify the impact of livestock farming on global warming, are still few. The aim of this study was to calculate the CF of the different production systems of autochthonous dairy goat breeds presently occurring in Andalusia (S Spain) and identify systems and practices that can minimize their environmental impact in these terms. Twenty-one farms were monitored during a year, obtaining valuable information that allowed the CF calculation on a “cradle-to-gate” approach, taking into account both GHG emissions at the farm level and carbon sink by vegetation associated with land-based systems. Results showed similar CF values for the analyzed systems (1.42, 1.04, 1.15, and 1.17 kg CO2-eq kg−1 fat–protein corrected milk for indoor systems without associated crops, indoor systems with associated crops, grazing systems with high feed supply, and pastoral systems, respectively). To minimize their environmental impact, specific actions must be developed for each system, particularly regarding genetic improvement, reproductive and feeding management, including pasture management, and the integration of livestock activity into the bio-circular economy with the help of professional advice

Natural Carbon Sinks Linked to Pastoral Activity in S Spain: A Territorial Evaluation Methodology for Mediterranean Goat Grazing Systems

Exploring and developing new tools for the accounting and management of natural C sinks will provide a closer, more accurate option to remark the importance of such sinks in relation to livestock production, helping to support the persistence of some seriously endangered traditional, environmentally sustainable livestock farming. Following both precision and usability criteria, two main C sink databases covering the Andalusian region (S Spain) were developed from the Spanish Land Parcel Identification System (SIGPAC, coarse resolution) and the Spanish Information System on Land Cover (SIOSE, finer resolution) land use classes. Particular C sink factors based on growth rates for individual plant species were associated with detailed vegetation maps and, further, were linked to Land Use and Covers cartography across the region. In addition, eight ruminant farms were exhaustively studied in situ and used as a control. Results were compared with the obtained through the application of the developed C sink databases, and with the commonly used Petersen methodology. The sink capacity of vegetation associated with farms varied from 0.25 to 1.37 t CO2 ha−1 year−1, depending on the plant species composition and abundance. All the approaches showed significant differences from the control. C sink values were significantly higher when applying SIGPAC-based C sink database to farms, while values from the SIOSE and Petersen methodology approaches provided more moderate values, closer to the control. SIGPAC and Petersen approaches showed higher usability but presented lower precision due to a poor definition of plant cover. SIOSE-based C sink database provided suitable values able to be adapted to reality and used by farmers. In this regard, further research efforts to improve the adjustment of results and ease of use are required. The present approach means a methodological advance in the estimation of the C sink capacity associated with pastoral livestock farms, able to be incorporated into the CF calculation in contrasted areas worldwide, in the frame of the ‘eco-schemes’ being recently under development through the EU CAPJunta de Andalucía GOP21-GR-16-001

Ecosystem Services Provided by Pastoral Husbandry: A Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract: The ecosystem services provided by the age-old activity of husbandry are presently de- clining or seriously endangered. The situation is particularly serious for regulation services and for certain cultural services given their growing dependence on external inputs. This work performs a bibliometric analysis for the purpose of identifying the certainties and gaps associated with the different ecosystems generated by pastoral husbandry, and confirms the pressing challenges that the livestock industry is facing in the current context of global change. Two different tools, Scopus and VOSviewer, have been implemented to analyze 2230 documents published between 1961 and 2021 that include the terms “grazing” and “service”. The information required for the bibliometric analysis of authorship, country of origin, field of study and number of citations, among other categories, was drawn from the documents to the effect of evidencing their general thematic relationships. Finally, the current state of the ecosystem services currently provided by pastoral husbandry—provisioning, regulation, cultural and support services—was assessed. The results showed a greater abundance of scientific literature on provisioning and regulation services than on cultural and support services. An increase in the number of publications from the beginning of the 21st century was confirmed. The United States stands out as the country with the largest scientific production, and environmental sciences is the most prominent field in the study of ecosystem services. A recent larger academic effort to encourage the promotion of ecosystem services from the institutions has also been observed, as well as to include them as a factor in the development of environmental policies, which is described as the greatest challenge for the future of this discipline. Among other possible solutions, the new European Union agricultural subsidies—the so-called eco-schemes—appear to be essential for that effort to bear fruit as soon as possible