Abstract

SULBARAN, Luis et al. Technical diagnosis of the production system with dual purpose bovine in the hilly area in Guárico state, Venezuela. Zootecnia Trop. [online]. 2008, vol.26, n.2, pp.79-85. ISSN 0798-7269.

This research aimed to make a diagnosis of the technical production system located in a hilly area of Guarico state, Venezuela. We followed the criteria: of geographic location and a maximum of 150 animals to determine the sample, which was 95 farms selected at random. As a tool for collecting information, a survey containing socio-economic, production, and management variables was utilized. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. It was observed low proportion of milking cows (23.6%), uncontrolled mating, with an average of 18 cows per bull in herds with a predominance of breed and crossbredherd (47%). The most important workforce was the family and a few producers keep and use records. The average farm size was 113.1 ha. The physical productivity was very low, with a stocking rate of 0.3 AU/ha. Farms produced grain as the main product (78.4%), while beef production was a complement system, as the milk being drawn by hand and processed as cheese for sale. We found that low production rates reflect a small use of technology in the system, in turn shaped by a high variability of properties that differ in the way they used local resources. Also, it was shown the high influence on the dual purpose system by cereals, such as maize and sorghum, which are closely linked by the feeding benefit that have on the animals of the herd.

Keywords : Double purpose; systems; diagnosis; hill zones; production factors.