Performance Analysis of Dairy Farms Transitioning to Environmentally Friendly Grazing Practices: The Case Study of Santa Catarina, Brazil

Abstract

The conflict between food production and environmental conservation demands alternative agriculture practices to maintain or increase food production, protect and restore critical ecosystem processes, and reduce dependence on non-renewable agricultural inputs. Deforestation in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, for which agriculture has been a primary driver, already threatens the biome’s impressive biodiversity and the ecosystem services it helps sustain. Many small family farmers in Santa Catarina—located in the South of Brazil—have adopted the Voisin Rational Grazing System (VRG) as an alternative to conventional and environmentally detrimental dairy activities. This article presents the results of a research project designed to analyze the economic, social, and ecological VRG impacts based on farmers’ perceptions and economic accounts. We compare farmer profitability and critical social and environmental aspects of both systems using detailed interviews and monthly accounting of revenues and expenditures on VRG and conventional farms. We found that VRG is more profitable than the conventional dairy system in Santa Rosa de Lima. However, most farmers combine VRG with some conventional practices, affecting profitability and potential ecological benefits. The adoption of VRG in Santa Rosa de Lima nonetheless correlates with reduced use of environmentally harmful inputs, compatible with a gradual transition to a more ecologically-friendly and sustainable system.

Building a Restorative Agricultural Economy: Insights from a Case Study in Santa Catarina, Brazil

“…We also measured positive impacts on ecosystem services. Farmers perceived that rotational grazing improved soil health and biodiversity [49,73], and farmers engaged in rotational grazing were significantly better informed about ecosystem services than conventional farmers [74,75]. We assessed the impacts of SPSnu on microclimate, pasture production, and pasture chemical composition, microclimate and biodiversity as compared to treeless pastures.…”

“…A separate study found that cows spend more than half their grazing time and nearly 2/3 of all time in the shade [66]. A separate study found that 97% of 60 farmers interviewed were aware that silvopastoral systems could reduce productivity losses to temperature extremes [74].…”

Network embeddedness, entrepreneurial bricolage, and family farm sustainability

“…The efficiency assessments of family farm sustainability can use an indicator system that integrates economic, social and ecological values (Brasileiro-Assing et al, 2022;Damke et al, 2022;Savian et al, 2023). Economic value covered financial growth, resource utilization and organizational stability of family farms, expressed as the final income from all production and business activities, efficiency of utilizing production elements and resisting risks (Savickienė and Miceikienė, 2018;Micu et al, 2022).…”

Percepções de extensionistas rurais da Epagri sobre o Pastoreio Racional Voisin (PRV)

“…As respostas não foram afetadas por nenhuma das variáveis ligadas ao público amostral (P>0,05). Esta visão permite inferir que, na maioria das unidades produtivas, não há uma adesão plena ao método, e os produtores combinam princípios e práticas próprias do PRV com algumas alheias a este (BRASILEIRO-ASSING et al, 2022), o que pode afetar a estimativa de propriedades adotantes, antes apontada. Constata-se, pois, a existência do que se poderia considerar um "semi-PRV", algo como um modelo híbrido entre este e outros métodos.…”