Assessing the potential benefits of technical intervention in evolving the semi-intensive dairy-sheep farms in Crete

Stefanakis, Alexandros I.; Volanis, M; Zoiopoulos, P. E.; Hadjigeorgiou, I.

doi:10.1016/j.smallrumres.2006.08.006

Cited by 16 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 18 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Management and production indicators for the extensive dairy system, obtained through this on-farm survey, differ considerably from those for the semiintensive dairy system obtained under similar conditions (Stefanakis et al, 2006). These figures compare well with those reported elsewhere for the 'Sfakia' sheep bred under controlled conditions (Kominakis et al, 2001;Volanis et al, 2002).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

“…Farmed sheep belong to a local breed named 'Sfakia' which has already been described to some extent (Kominakis et al, 2001;Volanis et al, 2002). Some of the sheep farms follow a semi-intensive system of production (Stefanakis et al, 2006), but the majority traditionally operate under low-intensity systems, since animal farmers invest little per ewe, especially on permanent structures and machinery (de Rancourt et al, 2006). In the extensive system, sheep of the 'Sfakia' breed are kept outdoors for most of the year and their feeding is principally based on the available indigenous vegetation.…”

Section: General Information On Land and Sheep Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Two predominant small ruminant farming systems are practised there: the extensive and the semi-intensive, the distinction lying mainly in capital invested on farm establishments (de Rancourt et al, 2006). The semi-intensive dairy sheep sector of Crete has already been reported elsewhere (Stefanakis et al, 2006). However, it appears useful to explore the extensive type of dairy sheep farming since this involves a considerably larger number of farmers, both locally and internationally.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Supporting the extensive dairy sheep smallholders of the semi-arid region of Crete through technical intervention

Volanis

Stefanakis

Hadjigeorgiou

et al. 2007

Trop Anim Health Prod

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The objective of this field study was to depict the extensive system of dairy sheep farming in the semi-arid environment of the island of Crete and to assess the potential margins of improvement through technical intervention. Forty-three family-run farms keeping a total of 13,870 sheep were surveyed in seven representative areas of the island. Several parameters were dealt with, concerning socio-economy, flock management and productivity. Study areas differed widely regarding feeds supplied per sheep, land cultivated for feeds, grazing land utilized and housing space. A range of parameters were recorded on flock size and their production characteristics such as births, fertility and number of lambs weaned. Milk yield and parameters associated with milk quality, such as somatic cell counts and total microbial flora, were also recorded. Technical intervention was directed towards removal of non-productive animals, programming of matings, balancing of diets, management of grazing lands and health care. Ewe fertility and numbers of lambs weaned per ewe, as well as harvested milk and milk quality (based on somatic cell counts and microbial load of milk) were also significantly improved. Information derived from this study stresses the important role of extension services to small farm sustainability and contributes to our knowledge of the dairy sheep farming systems in countries around the Mediterranean and elsewhere.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: General Information On Land and Sheep Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Supporting the extensive dairy sheep smallholders of the semi-arid region of Crete through technical intervention

Volanis

Stefanakis

Hadjigeorgiou

et al. 2007

Trop Anim Health Prod

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Of the 20 farms included in this survey, 10 were classified as "extensive" (EX), meaning that they has low stocking densities (>0.5 ha/ewe), spent at least 300 days each year grazing seminatural vegetation on marginal land, and fed ewes less than 200 kg of supplementary concentrates per ewe per year [32]. In contrast, the 10 semi-intensive (SI) farms had higher stocking densities (0.25 ha/ewe), grazed ewes on improved grassland for more than 200 days, and fed over 250 kg of supplementary concentrate per ewe per year [33].…”

Section: Animals and Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable Intensification? Increased Production Diminishes Omega-3 Content of Sheep Milk

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Intensifying agricultural production alters food composition, but this is often ignored when assessing system sustainability. However, this could compromise consumer health and influence the concept of "sustainable diets". Here, we consider the milk composition of Mediterranean dairy sheep, finding inferior fatty acid (FA) profiles with respect to consumer health as a result of a more intensive system of production. Semi-intensive management produced 57% more milk per ewe, with a 20% lower fat content (but inferior fat composition). The milk had a nutritionally poorer fatty acid (FA) profile, with an 18% lower omega-3 FA concentration (n-3) (19% fewer long-chain n-3s) and a 7% lower monounsaturated FA concentration but a 3% higher saturated FA (9% higher in C14:0) concentration compared to ewes under traditional, extensive management. A redundancy analysis identified close associations between fat composition and animal diets-particularly concentrate supplementation and cultivated pasture grazing-and n-3 was associated with grazing in diverse, native mountain pastures. This paper questions if identifying such key elements in traditional systems could be deployed for "sustainable intensification" to maintain food quality while increasing output.

show abstract

“…Stefanakis et al 2007;Galanopoulos et al 2011). Traditionally, in Greece, grazing has been unfenced and communal (Tsiboukas 1987); sheep and goats were folded during the night (Figure 9), shepherded on mountain pastures during the day and milked in the early morning and late afternoon (Zervas 1998).…”

Section: Production (Tonnes)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Past, present and future of pastoralism in Greece

Hadjigeorgiou

2011

Pastor Res Policy Pract

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Pastoral farming has been a feature of the Greek scene since antiquity. The geomorphology of the area, climatic conditions and the prevailing systems of agricultural production in lowland regions at any given time have all been conducive to the development and preservation of this productive system, principally of small ruminants, until the present day. In the present paper, a brief review is presented of the pastoralism system in the area of Greece through the millennia, highlighting the variety of driving forces on pastoralism. Importance is stressed on this human activity to the formation of present-day biodiversity. Over the last decades, the pastoralist system has been subjected to pressures for 'modernization' and intensification like the rest of the agricultural sector in Greece and has been influenced by the social demands and constraints imposed on individuals in the farming community by these same modernising processes. Adaptation to modern conditions has been accompanied by rapid contraction of the pastoral system, despite the noteworthy economic role it purportedly has to play in the national economy, not to mention its social role in keeping alive the steadily decaying mountainous and disadvantaged regions, which constitute a considerable proportion of the rural land area of Greece. An attempt is made to foresee the future of this system by examining the dynamics of each component.

show abstract

Assessing the potential benefits of technical intervention in evolving the semi-intensive dairy-sheep farms in Crete

Cited by 16 publications

References 18 publications

Supporting the extensive dairy sheep smallholders of the semi-arid region of Crete through technical intervention

Supporting the extensive dairy sheep smallholders of the semi-arid region of Crete through technical intervention

Sustainable Intensification? Increased Production Diminishes Omega-3 Content of Sheep Milk

Past, present and future of pastoralism in Greece

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About