On-farm assessment of the sustainability of small-scale dairy systems with three methods based on indicators.

Small-scale dairy systems are important contributors to national milk supplies in many areas of the world, and an option to ameliorate rural poverty in developing countries. In Mexico, they comprise over 78% of dairy farms. These systems must be sustainable in order to persist in the future. By applying several methods to assess the sustainability of farms, valuable information is collected on the practical, operational, and systemic requirements, as well as an insight into the difficulties in the use of each tool in practice. The objective was to assess the sustainability of small-scale dairy systems during the rainy season. Three methods were compared (IDEA, RISE, and SAFA) to evaluate their ability to deal with such systems in the Mexican context. Ten small-scale dairy farms were assessed from June to November 2018. Monthly semi-structured interviews were applied to collect economic, social, and environmental information. The three methods met criteria for on-farm assessments, with no large differences among them. The IDEA method was more applicable in the context of small-scale dairy systems because its indicators may be collected on-farm and were easy to measure. RISE requires more specialized technical information not always available at the small-scale farm level, and SAFA covered the largest number of indicators but is better suited for large-scale systems. The IDEA and RISE methods are adequate tools to assess the sustainability of small-scale dairy systems. The mean overall sustainability score over the three methods for the 10 assessed farms was 55.3±5.7 over 100. This medium level of sustainability indicates areas of opportunity to enhance the sustainability of small-scale dairy systems.

Intensive grazing and maize silage to enhance the sustainability of small-scale dairy systems in the highlands of Mexico.

The effects of two innovative feeding strategies-intensive grazing (GR) and maize silage (MS)-on the sustainability of small-scale dairy systems (SSDS) were assessed in the highlands of central Mexico. On a total of 24 farms, four innovations were adopted between 2011 and 2014. Five farms continued their conventional feeding strategy (CC) of cut-and-carry pasture supplemented with commercial concentrate and ground corn grain, as well as straws (maize, oat, and wheat) in the dry season of feed scarcity; six farms implemented MS in the dry season; six farms GR of pastures; and seven farms implemented both GR and MS. Assessment in 2015 showed that farms which implemented both GR and MS had a higher local diversity score (P ≤ 0.001), higher scores for ethics and human development, and a higher score in economic independence (P ≤ 0.05) than farms that implemented only one of the innovations. The overall sustainability score (with range 0-100) was 46 for CC, 47 for MS, 52 for GR, and 55 for GR + MS. The innovations reduced feeding costs and enhanced sustainability, particularly when GR + MS were both implemented.

Performance of small-scale dairy farms in the highlands of central Mexico during the dry season under traditional feeding strategies.

In Mexico, small-scale dairy systems (SSDS) represent over 78 % of dairy farms and contribute with 37 % of national milk production; however, they face high feeding costs. The objective of this study was to assess the performance of SSDS during the dry season in terms of milk yields, milk composition and feeding costs under traditional feeding strategies, to identify areas of opportunity for improving their profitability. The information was collected from 22 SSDS every month during dry season. Feeds were classified in quality forages (QF), supplements (SU) and straws (ST). Two factors were identified: factor 1-a positive relationship among QF, SU, milk yield and ration cost and factor 2-represented straw usage. Four feeding strategies were identified: (1) low-cost feeding strategy; (2) home-grown feeding strategy; (3) high-cost feeding strategy; and (4) straw-based feeding strategy. There were differences (P < 0.001) among feeding strategies for QF, SU, ST, total dry matter offered (TDMO), ration cost (RC), external inputs, home-grown inputs and milk yield. There were no significant (P > 0.05) differences among feeding strategies for fat and protein contents in milk. It is concluded that to improve performance and profitability and enhance sustainability in SSDS, farmers should base feeding strategies on home-grown quality forages, as it was the case in group 2 which showed lower feeding cost and better milk yield. It is also recommended to increase the inclusion of quality forages like grazing pastures and maize silages during the dry season and to avoid the inclusion of straws.