Typification of ovine and caprine production systems in the Colombian dry tropic

The objective of this study was to typify ovine and/or caprine production systems in Cesar department, in the Colombian Caribbean region. Farmers from 25 municipalities of Cesar (n = 360) were surveyed about different areas of animal production. The most influential variables were obtained through a Factor Analysis of Mixed Data (FAMD) and these results were used to run a hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), followed by statistical comparison. Three clusters of production systems (PS) were identified: traditional ovine and/or caprine production system - TPS (84.9%), mixed ovine and/or caprine production system -MPS (11.4%), and specialized ovine and/or caprine production system -SPS (3.7%). This study proposes an updated classification of sheep and/or goat production systems in Cesar, Colombia.

Automated summary

This study classified sheep and/or goat production systems in Cesar, Colombia. By analyzing survey data from farmers, three clusters of production systems - traditional, mixed, and specialized - were identified.