Structural and Technological Characterization of Tropical Smallholder Farms of Dual-Purpose Cattle in Mexico

Livelihood Capitals and Opportunity Cost for Grazing Areas' Restoration: A Sustainable Intensification Strategy in the Ecuadorian Amazon

Land use change in pastures is considered one of the leading drivers of tropical deforestation in the Ecuadorian Amazon Region (EAR). To halt and reverse this process, it is necessary to understand, among other factors, the local livelihoods, income from grazing area and the appropriate options to foster sustainable production, incorporating the land-sparing and land-sharing approach. This work was conducted using 167 household surveys along an altitudinal gradient within the buffer and transition zone of the Sumaco Biosphere Reserve (SBR) in the EAR. The results of a comparative analysis of the main capital variables (human, social, natural, financial, and physical), and the opportunity cost of grazing area assessment provides the following key findings: (a) the concepts of land sparing and land sharing should be considered as complementary local strategies, including household livelihoods and the opportunity cost of the grazing area; (b) we should encourage markets with differentiated restoration rights, based on households engaged in low grazing areas' opportunity costs, and making less impact on capitals' livelihood a key element of economic and conservation initiatives; and (c) sectoral policy implications, including moderate intensification and technological improvements to strengthen the pastureland-sparing and -sharing approach, are discussed.

Does Gender Impact Technology Adoption in Dual-Purpose Cattle in Mexico?

This paper examines the role of women in the dual-purpose livestock system (DP) in Mexico through their technological adoption patterns and aims to evaluate whether there are significant differences between the technology adoption networks of men and women farmers. The sample was composed of 383 DP small farms with 20 or fewer cows and a high level of vulnerability. Social Network Analysis (SNA) was applied, and the centrality measures were calculated for the technological areas of management, feeding, genetics, reproduction, and animal health. Significant differences were found in reproduction levels between men and women farmers. Therefore, SNA was developed in this technological area where men mainly occupied central positions (brokers) while women were just close to the leaders in the network. The results have shown that farms run by women were smaller and presented higher levels of specialization and milk productivity (20% higher), and women prioritized those technologies linked to female reproductive efficiency. Moreover, women were deeply embedded in men's networks through numerous ties and were capable of building connections with groups of farmers outside of their own group.

An Organizational Model of Online Learning in the Pandemic Period: Comparison with Traditional Face-to-Face Learning

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a paradigm shift in educational systems. During the lockdown, higher education became digital. This caused a change in communication within the educational ecosystem. Relational coordination (RC) is a communication and relationship model associated with the improvement of organizational results. Therefore, the objective of this research is to build an organizational model of online learning applied during the pandemic period and compare it with the previous face-to-face learning. A sample of 2774 students from two Ecuadorian universities was selected. A two-stage methodology was applied: First, an organizational model of online learning was built using multivariate methods. The RC model was linked to student satisfaction using generalized linear models (GLM). In the second stage, the organizational differences between the 2018 face-to-face and the 2020 online learning were identified. Finally, the online learning model was validated with external data. The components associated with a higher level of RC were institutional cooperation, institutional problem-solving, and administrative communication. Administrative communication lost importance in the online model. Significant differences between the satisfaction of the two models were not found. Nevertheless, since online learning was not associated with an improvement in satisfaction, the creation of a third educational model that combines the best practices of online and face-to-face learning in a hybrid system could be an alternative that improves the satisfaction of students.

Assessment of Key Feeding Technologies and Land Use in Dairy Sheep Farms in Spain

Familiar mixed dairy sheep farm is the most widespread system in the Mediterranean basin, in Latin America and in developing countries (85%). There is a strong lack of technological adoption in packages of feeding and land use in small-scale farms. To increase competitiveness, it would be of great interest to deepen the knowledge of how innovation was selected, adopted, and spread. The objective of this research was to select strategic feeding and land use technologies in familiar mixed dairy sheep systems and later assess dairy sheep farms in Spain. This objective was assessed by combining qualitative and quantitative methodologies. In the first stage, with the aim to identify and select the appropriate technologies, a panel of 107 experts in dairy sheep production was used. A questionnaire was applied to all of them with successive rounds using Delphi methodology. Later, these technologies were grouped by principal components analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA). In a second stage the technological results from a random sample of 157 farms in the Center of Spain were collected. The technologies selected were linked to the technological adoption level of the farms in Castilla la Mancha by a multiple regression model. Ten technologies were selected by the 107 experts. Four factors were retained by PCA that explained at 67.11% of variance. The first factor is related to feeding strategies, the second to land use for livestock production, the third to efficient management of land resources or ecoefficiency and the fourth to by-products use. The expert evaluation was grouped in three clusters using the Ward’s method and the squared Euclidean distance measure, where the second showed higher values in the adoption level of each technology. The multiple regression model explained the relationship between the technologies and the technological level of the farms (R2 73.53%). The five technologies selected were: use of unifeed (1), supplemental feeding (5), grazing (6), raw materials production (7) and sustainable use of water and soil (10). These ten technologies identified can be directly extended to small-scale dairy farms from other countries in the Mediterranean basin and Latin America. This technological selection was supported from the broad and diverse panel of experts used. Besides, five technologies identified by the quantitative model will be able to be taken into account for the development of public innovation policies. They are direct technologies and easy to apply on the farm and seeking increased viability through innovation vs. intensification.

Genetic study of quantitative traits supports the use of Guzerá as dual-purpose cattle

Objective

The aim of this study was to estimate genetic parameters for 305-day cumulative milk yield and components, growth, and reproductive traits in Guzerá cattle.

Methods

The evaluated traits were 305-day first-lactation cumulative yields (kg) of milk (MY305), fat (FY305), protein (PY305), lactose (LY305), and total solids (SY305); age at first calving (AFC) in days; adjusted scrotal perimeter (cm) at the ages of 365 (SP365) and 450 (SP450) days; and adjusted body weight (kg) at the ages of 210 (W210), 365 (W365), and 450 (W450) days. The (co)variance components were estimated using the restricted maximum likelihood method for single-trait, bi-trait and tri-trait analyses. Contemporary groups and additive genetic effects were included in the general mixed model. Maternal genetic and permanent environmental effects were also included for W210.

Results

The direct heritability estimates ranged from 0.16 (W210) to 0.32 (MY305). The maternal heritability estimate for W210 was 0.03. Genetic correlation estimates among milk production traits and growth traits ranged from 0.92 to 0.99 and from 0.92 to 0.99, respectively. For milk production and growth traits, the genetic correlations ranged from 0.33 to 0.56. The genetic correlations among AFC and all other traits were negative (−0.43 to −0.27). Scrotal perimeter traits and body weights showed genetic correlations ranging from 0.41 to 0.46, and scrotal perimeter and milk production traits showed genetic correlations ranging from 0.11 to 0.30. The phenotypic correlations were similar in direction (same sign) and lower than the corresponding genetic correlations.

Conclusion

These results suggest the viability and potential of joint selection for dairy and beef traits in Guzerá cattle, taking into account reproductive traits.

Backfat Thickness Does Affect the Restoration of Ovarian Activity Postpartum in Different Breeding Programs in Zebu Cattle

The backfat thickness (BFT) was used to forecast the onset of ovarian activity and predict the calf growth. Eighty Brahman cows with their calves were allocated in two groups of 40 distributed in 4 months according to the month of calving, starting in March and finishing in June. One was synchronized and inseminated at fixed time following by natural mating (TAI+NM); whilst the other only by natural mating (NM). The programs started at 60 ± 5 days postpartum and ended 60 days later. From day 30 postpartum, serial ultrasound examinations and progesterone samples were used to monitor the onset of ovarian activity. The BFT in the rump area was measured by ultrasound from 30 days postpartum and every 15 days thereafter. The weight of the calves was recorded at birth and at weaning on 160 days. The adjusted effect of BFT on ovarian activity and the calves' development was assessed by binomial logistic regression at 30, 60, 75, and 120 days postpartum. The cycling cows averaged higher BFT irrespective of breeding program (P < 0.001). Also, slower changes in BFT were recorded during the follow-up at each time for all cows. However, the former had the higher BFT values from calving to the end of the study (P < 0.001). At 60, 75, and 120 days, the BFT measured, at the preceding time, was the only factor predicting the commencement of cyclicity (P < 0.001). The accumulative pregnancy through time was higher in TAI+NM (P = 0.003). Daily weight gain and weaning weight of the calves born in March was significantly heavier (P < 0.001) than peers born in April, May, or June. The most critical element to forecast the onset of ovarian activity is the monitoring of BFT around calving regardless of the breeding program. BFT to estimate the development of the calves until weaning was unpredictable.

Carbon footprint in Latin American dairy systems

The study reviewed carbon footprint (CF) analyses for milk production in Latin America from cradle to farm gate. The objective was to estimate (1) the effect of feeding management (zero-grazing, semi-confinement, and pasture), (2) cattle system (specialized dairy vs. dual-purpose), and (3) region (tropical vs. temperate) on milk production (kg/cow/day) and CF (kg CO₂eq/kg fat and protein corrected milk (FPCM)). A systematic literature review was conducted, and for the final analysis, a total of 32 individual CF (from 11 studies) were used. Studies included in the final analysis allowed to calculate CF per kg FPCM, included upstream emissions calculations, and used the IPCC's tier 2 approach for enteric methane emissions. The range of the CF observed in the region was from 1.54 to 3.57 kg CO2eq/kg FPCM. Feeding management had a significant effect on milk production, but not on CF. Zero-grazing compared with pasture systems had a 140% greater milk production (20.1 vs. 8.4 kg milk/cow/day), but numerically greater CF for pasture systems (2.6 vs. 1.7 kg CO₂eq/kg FPCM). Compared with specialized dairy cattle, dual-purpose cattle produced less milk (P < 0.001) and higher CF (P < 0.05). Compared with temperate regions, tropical region systems produced less milk and higher CF. In conclusion, in Latin America, the cattle system and region have a significant impact on CF, whereas the feeding management (zero-grazing, semi-confinement, and pasture) does not impact the CF of milk produced.

The Effect of Maternal Behavior around Calving on Reproduction and Wellbeing of Zebu Type Cows and Calves

The behaviors associated with domestic cattle such as maternal care are quite similar to those behaviors observed in wild ungulates. These behaviors allow the cow to bond with her calf, protect and provide it with nourishment and ultimately reduce the bond at weaning. Although maternal behavior is an important factor influencing the survival and early development of the newborn calf, Zebu type cows around calving have not been studied extensively. Herein, we consider the four main aspects of maternal behavior in cattle and particularly Bos indicus cows and calves. Firstly, we provide a brief description of the behavior of cows around parturition and the behavior of the first stages of the calves' lives. In the second part, the protective behavior of the mother is analyzed. Subsequently, examples of animal welfare implications followed by an analysis of some factors that affect calf survival, including mother experience and weather conditions, are discussed, and in the last part, reproduction along with some peculiarities of reproductive behavior, and the wellbeing of mother and calves are examined. We concluded that knowledge of maternal behavior of Zebu type cows around calving and interactions with calves might contribute to an enhanced reproductive efficiency of the mother and the welfare of the calf.

Does Small-Scale Livestock Production Use a High Technological Level to Survive? Evidence from Dairy Production in Northeast-ern Michoacán, Mexico

The objective of this study was to identify the technological level used by dairy farmers in the northeastern region of Michoacán, Mexico, through a characterisation of small-scale dairy production units, as well as to learn about the socioeconomic conditions that have enabled them to survive in the current context. A semi-structured interview was applied to 114 production units, chosen by stratified random sampling. The interview included technological, production and socioeconomic aspects. Twenty-eight variables were initially explored and 12 were used for multivariate analysis, which included Principal Component Analysis, Hierarchical Cluster Analysis and K-means Cluster. The characterisation carried out showed that the production units that predominate in northeastern Michoacán have survived with a low technological level, having as strengths the diversification of their activities and the use of family labour. On the contrary, production units with a high technological level and high productivity are few and less diversified. This shows the need to generate differentiated public policies for each cluster, aimed at strengthening the aspects that have allowed them to survive and guaranteeing a market for their production, before promoting the use of technologies.

Focused Coordination Models towards Sustainability in Higher Education. Case of Quevedo State Technical University (Ecuador)

This research studied the relationship between coordination models (CM) focused on sustainability and satisfaction, as a competitive advantage, which increases sustainability at the Quevedo State Technical University (UTEQ) in Ecuador. A survey in situ on a random sample of 3200 students was done in 2019. By using multivariate methods, an organizational typology was built. Next, CM were related to the level of student satisfaction by general linear model (GLM). Twenty-three organizational variables were grouped into six components that explained 66.23% of the variance. A typology with three groups was built: Cluster 1 with a moderate CM level (44.57% of the sample), Cluster 2 with a low level of CM (38.18%), and Cluster 3 with a high level of CM (15.25%). By GLM, a positive relation between typology and students’ levels of satisfaction was found. Therefore, an increase of CM turned into a major satisfaction level at UTEQ. We suggest, as a priority, to improve communication amongst students and administrative staff. Communication should be frequent, accurate, on time, and oriented to solve problems. It would also be positive to increase the CM amongst students and representatives in solving communication problems, sharing knowledge, goals, and mutual respect.