Title
Measuring sustainability of smallholder livestock farming in Yurimaguas, Peruvian Amazon
Date Issued
01 November 2020
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Van-Heurck M.
Del Castillo D.
Pérez L.
Lavelle P.
Quintero M.
Publisher(s)
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Abstract
Sustainability measurement addresses the social, economic, and environmental aspects in order to support policy and decision-making. In the Peruvian Amazon, some smallholder livestock farmers have subsisted through time, partially preserving the ecosystems and demonstrating in practice a certain degree of sustainability. In this regard, this study aims at measuring the sustainability of smallholder livestock farming in the Peruvian Amazon. Sustainability was measured using a multi-criteria method, through the construction of sustainability indicators based on information obtained from field surveys, and soil and macrofauna sampling in the pastures. For this purpose, economic, environmental, and socio-cultural indicators were considered, with a rating scale from 0 to 4, where 0 is the least sustainable category and 4 is the most sustainable one. Smallholder livestock farming was considered sustainable if the general sustainability index (GenSI) was equal to or greater than 2 and, at the same time, if none of the three indicators had a value lower than 2. The socio-cultural indicator was within the sustainability threshold, but the economic and environmental indicators did not fulfill the necessary requirements to consider smallholder livestock farming a sustainable activity in the city of Yurimaguas, Peru. The critical points affecting the sustainability of smallholder livestock farming in Yurimaguas were as follows: degraded soils, lack of silvopastoral systems, inefficient transport system, low annual income, and low levels of associativity. The results suggest the need for mitigating these limitations, as well as promoting associativity and implementing silvopastoral systems for the improvement of the welfare of smallholder livestock farmers.
Volume
9
Issue
4
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Ciencia animal, Ciencia de productos lácteos
Subjects
DOI
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85090057401
Source
Food and Energy Security
ISSN of the container
20483694
Sponsor(s)
Firstly, we would like to thank the participating farmers for their hospitality and for their assistance and collaboration during data collection. Secondly, we are grateful to the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE), with which the SAL project was internally associated. Finally, we are thankful to the Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), which funded the Sustainable Amazonian Landscapes (SAL) project within the scope of the International Climate Initiative (IKI).
Firstly, we would like to thank the participating farmers for their hospitality and for their assistance and collaboration during data collection. Secondly, we are grateful to the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE), with which the SAL project was internally associated. Finally, we are thankful to the Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), which funded the Sustainable Amazonian Landscapes (SAL) project within the scope of the International Climate Initiative (IKI).
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus