Estruturas de organização dos criadores de pequenos ruminantes para o desenvolvimento de cadeias de comercialização na região de Itaparica, Estado de Pernambuco

Abstract

The aim of this study was to characterize the social and productive profile of the goat and sheep rearing system in Itaparica region, Pernambuco state, Brazil. It was done interviews with 72 smallholders, which were divided into four groups (group1-located in Petrolândia municipality and members of Breeder Association, Petrolândia_AS; group2-located in the municipality of Petrolândia but not association members, Petrolândias_NAS; group3-located in Itacuruba, Itacuruba; group4, located in Floresta, Floresta). It was applied a structured questionnaire from September 2014 to September 2015. It was made single frequency and correspondence analysis with qualitative and quantitative variables. Most smallholders had 56.6 average years old and, 25.2 average years dedicated to the goat and sheep husbandry. According to respondents, the technological level of the corrals is low. In Petrolândia_NAS and Itacuruba groups predominates handling and maternity corrals (100%), unlike Petrolâdia_AS and Forest in which 54.6% and 16.7%, have pens, respectively. The main source of water came from the river (38.9%). Most of the smallholders adopted the extensive farming system (93.1%), but only 40.8% kept the animals raising in the bush all the year (40.8%). In Floresta, 45.8% of the smallholders provided "Caatinga" associated with concentrate to the animals. Of the 72 production units, 79.2% used the mineral supplementation but the majority (91.3%) does not make livestock control. In the majority of the farms (63.9%) the breeders manage their farms without technical assistance (91.7%). Predominated natural breeding at the field (98.6%), and the animals began the reproductive life very early and without control. As most common diseases were the lymphadenitis caseous and the keratoconjunctivitis. The correspondence analysis was efficient and showed that the first two axes add almost 80% of the total variation. The main limiting factors for the development of the small ruminant production system were the way to the farm´s administration, lack of technical assistance, the predominance of the extensive farming system with low technological level.