Factors determining the efficiency of milk production in systems of double purpose in Pastaza province, Ecuador

Abstract

In order to identify the factors determining the productive efficiency of dairy cattle in Pastaza, Ecuador, a non-experimental design was used, which controlled the effects of the climatic areas and height levels, for applying a survey system in 116 farms with more than 10 heads and five years of consecutive activity. The Statistical Model of Impact Measuring (SMIM), which is a combination of multivariate methods, was applied to identify the impact of these factors on cattle rearing systems. The discrete variables were analyzed by means of contingency tables, which combined the identified groups and the variables that influence on productive efficiency, environment and social risks related to cattle rearing sustainability. The factors determining the productive efficiency of the main step of milk production were production, environmental situation and size of exploitation. These factors explain the 73.76 % of the accumulated variance. The efficiency of the evaluated systems is related to the procedures carried out in the cattle rearing processes and to the social performance of the leading actors, who decide the alternatives to be applied and the way of managing productive systems. In Amazonic ecosystems, sustainable cattle rearing can be feasible if the productive activity is organized, the proper alternatives to ecosystem demands are adopted, and the environmental
management programs, adequate for this region, are implemented.

Key words: productive efficiency, impact, productive chain, Amazonia