Goat systems of Villuercas-Ibores area in SW Spain: Problems and perspectives of traditional farming systems

A study of dairy goat systems was carried out in the “Villuercas-Ibores” region, a mountainous area located in the south-west of the Iberian Peninsula (Cáceres, Spain). This territory is characterized by difficult orography and a fairly harsh climate, and has low indices of income and population density. Goat production in the area has contributed notably to its economic and social development historically, but there has been a marked recession in goat-based activities in recent decades, leading to changes in the type and intensity of land use. The purpose of the study is to analyze the main characteristics of the current goat farming systems in a zone in which goat milk production is possible under a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) brand “Ibores Cheese”, and to establish a farm classification that will allow groups of holdings with common characteristics to be identified, so that they can be compared and their performance evaluated. The data were obtained through direct interviews to goat farmers (n = 61) within the geographical area of the PDO “Ibores Cheese”. Specific information on management was collected, together with data on family characteristics, labour, livestock numbers, land use, installations, continuity, recent changes in farming, and the farmer’s opinions. A principal component analysis (PCA) was used to examine the relationships among the quantitative variables, then a two-step cluster analysis was applied using the factors obtained in the PCA and categorical variables. This resulted in a farm typology of three groups distinguished by their land use, goat breed, and PDO membership. The best management practices and productivity results were obtained by the farms furthest removed from the traditional systems. The first group of farms is characterized by small size flocks. Many of these farms do not belong to the PDO and therefore they have chosen breeds that are not allowed by the PDO regulations. Most of them are semi-intensive or intensive farms. The second group consist of extensive farms with large size flocks of goats complemented with sheep farming and, occasionally, with beef cattle or Iberian pig. They have got technically suitable milking rooms, although the availability of other infrastructure is poor. Finally, the third group identified includes extensive farms whose goat flock size is very similar to that of group 1, but in 70% of the cases they are mixed farms, mainly combining goat with sheep flocks. Most of them are producing milk that is sold to firms producing PDO cheese. It is the group closest to the traditional farming system and the farms have small flocks of low productivity per goat, raising autochthonous breeds and their crossbreeds.