Sustainability of dairy production systems in the province of Azuay

The Azuay dairy sector lacks precise information from important variables that require being monitored, cost analysis, efficiency, competitiveness and sustainability. The main purpose of the project is to evaluate and project the sustainability of bovine milk production systems in the province of Azuay. Producing units will be determined, representative of the systems established with the general database of the project "Identification of native bovine breeds of Azuay: morphometric characterization", of which this is continuity. For this selection an expert survey will be applied, in addition to multivariate analysis. The units will be visited periodically during the development of the project surveyed, explored, sampled, with registration and measurement of sustainability variables in the physical-chemical, biological-ecological, socio-cultural and technical-economic fields. Among the expected results is the obtaining of unregistered variables, the initial parameterization of the sustainability of the systems; The economic analysis of costs, efficiency and competitiveness, the closing, abandonment and resilience forecasts of the systems. Parametric and non -parametric models of current systems will be developed and the main causes that affect the durability of these systems will be analyzed. Changes in systems due to external and internal factors will be simulated. Changes in the environment caused by the functioning of the systems in the short and medium term will be simulated. The training of systems evaluators will be obtained. 8 articles in indexed magazines will be published. The bases for 3 doctorates in science and 3 master's thesis will be created, 6 degree works will also be achieved. The project team has a group of experience with experience and publications on soil, forestry, pastures, fodder and feeding of ruminants, bovine health and production, administration, advice and professional care in dairy units of the Azuay region, specialists in evaluation of livestock systems, economists, producers and owners.

XIV RESEARCH PROJECT COMPETITION