Role of self-sufficiency, productivity and diversification on the economic sustainability of farming systems with autochthonous sheep breeds in less favoured areas in Southern Europe

Traditional mixed livestock cereal- and pasture-based sheep farming systems in Europe are threatened by intensification and specialisation processes. However, the intensification process does not always yield improved economic results or efficiency. This study involved a group of farmers that raised an autochthonous sheep breed (Ojinegra de Teruel) in an unfavourable area of North-East Spain. This study aimed to typify the farms and elucidate the existing links between economic performance and certain sustainability indicators (i.e. productivity, self-sufficiency and diversification). Information was obtained through direct interviews with 30 farms (73% of the farmers belonging to the breeders association). Interviews were conducted in 2009 and involved 32 indicators regarding farm structure, management and economic performance. With a principal component analysis, three factors were obtained explaining 77.9% of the original variance. This factors were named as inputs/self-sufficiency, which included the use of on-farm feeds, the amount of variable costs per ewe and economic performance; productivity, which included lamb productivity and economic autonomy; and productive orientation, which included the degree of specialisation in production. A cluster analysis identified the following four groups of farms: high-input intensive system; low-input self-sufficient system; specialised livestock system; and diversified crops-livestock system. In conclusion, despite the large variability between and within groups, the following factors that explain the economic profitability of farms were identified: (i) high feed self-sufficiency and low variable costs enhance the economic performance (per labour unit) of the farms; (ii) animal productivity reduces subsidy dependence, but does not necessarily imply better economic performance; and (iii) diversity of production enhances farm flexibility, but is not related to economic performance.Publishe

A qualitative research on Spanish farmers and citizens perceptions of ecosystem services provided by mountain livestock farming

There is a strong debate nowadays on the public goods derived from certain agro-ecosystems and their valuation for establishing payments for ecosystem services (ES). In this context, we carried out a qualitative research on the spontaneous knowledge of ecosystem services and the perceptions of farmers and citizens on relationships between mountain farming and the environment. Five focus groups (2 with farmers and 3 with citizens; n=33) were organized in north-eastern Spain. Discussions were guided according to 5 general questions on links between pasture-based mountain livestock and the environment, lasted around 1.5 hours, were video recorded and transcripts were written for text analysis. Ideas or items from discussions were interpreted and organized according to the type of ES participants referred to (provisioning, regulating, habitat, cultural). The ES that were mentioned and discussed a greater number of times were (in descending order): aesthetic (landscape/ vegetation); gene pool protection (biodiversity maintenance); disturbance prevention (forest fires); lifecycle maintenance (nutrient cycling, photosynthesis); raw materials (firewood, forage); water purification/ waste management; spiritual experience; recreation/ tourism; soil fertility/ erosion prevention; and culture/ art. Differences between farmers and citizens were observed: farmers gave more importance to regulating (in particular, prevention of forest fires and soil fertility) and provisioning (raw materials) ES, mainly related to their own farming activity or local circumstances; whereas citizens gave more importance to cultural (aesthetic landscape/ vegetation, spiritual experience, recreation/ tourism and culture/art) ES, showing in general more global concerns. This study constitutes the base for a quantitative research on valuation (including monetary valuation) of ES derived from mountain farming systems in Mediterranean and North-Alpine areas. Keywords: public goods, sustainability, valuation, focus groups.Publishe

Percepciones de ganaderos y ciudadanos sobre las relaciones entre la ganadería de montaña y el medio ambiente. Un estudio cualitativo

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¿Cómo afecta el número de fetos y el sistema de explotación al estado nutricional de las ovejas de carne?

En España, la mayoría del ganado repro¬ductor deaptitud cárnica pertenecea razas depequeño-mediano, formato con moderados niveles deproducción, lo quepermitiría diversificar las alterna¬tivas dealimentación eincluir diversos recursos forrajeros en la ración sin penalizar los resultados productivos. En general, la ración suministrada al rebaño debemostrar un equilibrio del binomio calidad-precio y cubrir adecua¬damentesus necesidades fisiológicas; es decir, debepermitir la expresión del máximo potencial productivo a partir dela óptima funcionalidad delas carac¬terísticas digestivas diferenciales del rumiant

Food, energy or biomaterials? Policy coherence across agro-food and bioeconomy policy domains in the EU

The European Union (EU) envisions a shift towards a bioeconomy to address challenges such as reducing dependence on non-renewable resources, managing natural resources sustainably and food security. As a result, biomass will become an increasingly important resource in the bioeconomy. This will require careful and sustainable management especially because biomass comes from a wide variety of economic sectors and is governed by different policies. The bioeconomy will, therefore, require coherence between many different policy domains. However, little is known how policy goals in these domains interact and how these interactions may play out in different contexts. Hence, this study aims to assess coherence between bioeconomy and agro-food policies by assessing the interactions between bioeconomy and agro-food goals (i.e. trade-offs, synergies) as well as revealing knowledge gaps. Utilising qualitative content analysis, a survey and focus groups, we find that bioeconomy policy goals and agro-food policy goals are largely considered to be consistent, when considering coherence scores only, and that synergies outweigh trade-offs, both in quantity and in strength. However, all bioeconomy policy domains show some trade-offs with agro-food policy. We furthermore find disagreement (i.e. range of scores) and uncertainty in scientific knowledge-base, particularly concerning waste and bio-based industry. Disagreement surrounds the feasibility of some policy goals, such as decoupling economic growth from the environment. We conclude that a shift towards a bioeconomy will have to acknowledge the interactions between different policy goals across the different sectors and avoid ‘silo-thinking’. This can be achieved through addressing vagueness in policies and allowing integrated policies to embrace uncertainty.publishedVersio

Effects of sex and farming system on carcass and meat quality of suckling lambs from Ojinegra breed

El presente trabajo pretende caracterizar la calidad de la canal y de la carne de cordero lechal de la raza Ojinegra de Teruel. Para ello se utilizaron 64 corderos lechales, 32 de cada sexo, procedentes de 4 explotaciones comerciales. Los resultados mostraron que la edad al sacrificio, el rendimiento de la canal, las medidas objetivas de la canal y el color instrumental de la grasa y del músculo R. abdominis estuvieron afectados por la explotación de origen (P<0,05). Por el contrario, el sexo tuvo escaso efecto sobre los parámetros estudiados. En cuanto a la composición química de la carne, ni la explotación ni el sexo tuvieron efecto sobre ella (P>0,05). La composición de ácidos grasos intramuscular estuvo más afectada por la explotación que por el sexo, registrándose un efecto significativo de la explotación sobre el contenido de ácido oleico, ácido α-linolénico, ácido linoleico conjugado (9c-11t), el grupo de ácidos grasos poliinsaturados n-3 y la relación de ácidos grasos poliinsaturados n-6/n-3 (P<0,001). Sin embargo, el sexo solo afectó al contenido de ácido linoleico conjugado en la carne (P<0,05). De este trabajo se puede concluir que la calidad de la canal y de la carne de los corderos Lechal de raza Ojinegra está determinada por el factor explotación, mientras el sexo es un factor no determinante. Por ello, para obtener un producto comercial homogéneo, sería necesario definir las condiciones técnicas de producción.The aim of this study was to characterize carcass and meat quality of suckling lambs from Ojinegra de Teruel sheep breed. Sixty-four suckling lambs, 32 from each gender, belonging to 4 different commercial farms were used. Slaughtering age, objective carcass measurements and instrumental fat colour and Rectus abdominis muscle colour were affected by the farm (P<0.05). These parameters were seldom affected by the suckling lamb gender. Farm and gender had no effect on chemical composition of meat. The farm had greater influence on intramuscular fatty acid profile than gender. Oleic acid, α-linolenic acid, linoleic conjugated acid (9c-11t), polyunsaturated fatty acid group n-3 and polyunsaturated fatty acid relation n-6/n-3 differed among farms (P<0.001). However, the gender had only effect on linoleic conjugated acid (P<0.05). In conclusion, meat and carcass quality of Ojinegra suckling lambs relies mainly on management and feeding system of the dam, instead of gender. It would be mandatory to establish technical production rules in order to obtain a homogeneous meat productmanejocolortexturacomposición químicaácidos grasosmanagementcolourtexturechemical analysisfatty acids profilePublishe

Milk production and lamb growth in Ojinegra sheep breed

El presente trabajo pretende caracterizar la capacidad productiva de las ovejas de la raza Ojinegra a dos niveles de condición corporal (CC; BAJA, ≤ 2.50 vs. ALTA, > 2.50) y evaluar el crecimiento de sus corderos para la producción de corderos del tipo lechal (10-12 kg de peso vivo a 45 días de edad máxima). Para el ensayo se utilizaron 58 ovejas Ojinegras de Teruel con parto en invierno. La ración provista fue de 1 kg de pienso al día y paja de cereal a voluntad. Se registró el peso vivo peso (PV) de ovejas y corderos semanalmente durante las seis semanas de lactación, y la CC de las ovejas en el parto, a mitad de lactación (3ª semana) y al destete (6ª semana). De estas ovejas se eligió al azar un grupo de 22 ovejas para llevar a cabo el estudio de la producción de leche y concentraciones de metabolitos en sangre relacionados con el balance energético (ácidos grasos no esterificados, AGNE, y β-hidroxibutirato, BHB). Los resultados mostraron que el PV de la oveja Ojinegra (49,0 ± 1,5 kg) se vio afectado por la semana de lactación (P 0,05). Los contenidos de AGNE y BHB en sangre durante la lactación no se vieron afectados por la CC al parto (p > 0,05), mostrando valores medios de AGNE y BHB de 0,30 ± 0,06 y 0,54 ± 0,02 mmol/l, respectivamente. Sin embargo, los AGNE sí decrecieron significativamente a medida que avanzaba la lactación (P 0,05), obteniéndose una producción media de leche de 813 g/día (producción estándar de 702 ml/día). La ganancia media diaria (GMD) de los corderos durante la lactación fue independiente de la CC de la oveja al parto (148 vs. 154 ± 9 g/día, en ALTA vs. BAJA, P > 0,05). El peso medio de los corderos en el momento del destete fue de 9,6 ± 0,3 kg. De este trabajo se puede concluir que la producción de leche de las ovejas de raza Ojinegra de Teruel es moderada, permitiendo un crecimiento limitado de los corderos que puede condicionar el cumplimiento de la edad máxima para alcanzar el peso de la categoría lechal (45 días hasta 10-12 kg). Estos resultados deberían ser contrastados con futuros estudios que evalúen la capacidad lechera y maternal de dicha oveja con distintos sistemas de manejo y alimentación.The aim of this study was to characterize the productive potential of the Ojinegra sheep breed at two levels of body condition score (BAJA, ≤ 2.50 vs. ALTA, > 2.50), so that to prospect the production of suckling lambs (10-12 kg live weight at a threshold of 45 days old). Fifty-eight winter-lambing Ojinegra ewes were used. Ewes were stalled indoors and fed 1 kg of concentrate per day and cereal straw ad libitum. Live weight (PV) of ewes and lambs were registered weekly during lactation (6 weeks). Body condition score (CC) of ewes was measured at lambing and at weeks 3 and 6 of lactation. Twenty-two ewes were randomly selected to evaluate milk production and blood metabolites related with energy balance (nonesterified fatty acids, AGNE, and β-hydroxybutyrate, BHB). Ewes’ PV after lambing was affected by the week of lactation (P 0.05). Blood AGNE and BHB contents were not affected by CC at lambing (P > 0.05), with mean values of 0.30 ± 0.06 and 0.54 ± 0.02 mmol/l for AGNE and BHB respectively. However, AGNE concentration decreased during lactation (P < 0.001). Week of lactation and CC at lambing had no effect on milk production (P > 0.05); with mean milk production of 813 g/day (mean standardized production 702 ml/day). The average daily gain (ADG) of lambs was not affected by ewes’ CC at lambing (148 vs. 154 ± 9 g/day, for ALTA vs. BAJA, respectively; P > 0.05). The average PV of lambs at weaning was 9.6 ± 0.3 kg. In conclusion, milk production of Ojinegra sheep breed is moderate and it might condition the attainment of target 10-12 kg live-weight for suckling lamb category at a maximum age of 45 days old. These results should be confirmed in future studies, assessing the maternal capacity of Ojinegra ewe under diverse management and feeding systems

Assessment of determinants of high nature value (HNV) farmland at plot scale in Western Pyrenees

The concept of High Nature Value (HNV) farming hinges on the causality between agroecosystems with low intensity of management and the corresponding environmental outcomes, including high levels of biodiversity and the presence of semi-natural habitats. Although European strategies for rural development and biodiversity conservation have long recognized the importance of HNV farmlands, many of those areas are currently threatened by intensification and land abandonment. A variety of approaches have been developed for identifying HNV areas and measuring changes in their distribution and extent at landscape scales. In contrast, quantitative approaches for evaluating differences in HNV among the most basic units of management (farms and farm plots) are scarce and almost exclusively based on biodiversity indicators. This gap limits our ability to derive existing gradients of HNV at fine scale and the underlying cause conducive to HNV. Hence, we implemented an index to capture multiple facets of HNV based on expert knowledge criteria and field surveys performed at the finest scale of management (plot). First, we computed this index for hundreds of grasslands located across the Western Pyrenees. Then, we analysed the relationship between the nature value of plots and environmental, management and socio-economic variables. Our results evidence a gradient between low diversity and intensively used agricultural plots and HNV grasslands in the Western Pyrenees. Highest nature values were significantly related to the occurrence of plots in meadows located in steep areas within the Natura 2000 network, whereas lowest values were related to recently opened areas and the number of treatments per year. Importantly, this index, which could be adapted to other farming areas, provides quantitative information to support the implementation of result-based schemes, including eco-schemes and agri-environment-climate interventions of the new CAP (2023–2027).This work was funded by the CAP Planning Section – Department of Rural Development and Environment (Government of Navarre). I.P. was also supported by the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) (ESPDOC18/43)