| Sumario: | The extensive cattle-husbandry systems in the Caquetá department, located in the Colombian Amazon, lead to severe environmental impacts, including deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, soil erosion, and biodiversity loss, among others. To improve the understanding of farmer behavior regarding the adoption of sustainable feed production alternatives, it is crucial to address the lack of information about prevalent farm type-specific cost–benefit structures, as well as differences in profitability levels. Furthermore, due to the uncertainty of future prices and climate development, a sensitivity analysis is required.
This thesis presents a case study based on semi-structured interviews with 15 farmers of three farm types: (i) dual-purpose cattle husbandry with an emphasis on milk production and a high technological level (e.g., the use of milking machines) (Farm Type 1), (ii) dual-purpose cattle husbandry with an emphasis on milk production and a low technological level (Farm Type 2), and (iii) dual-purpose cattle husbandry where the produced milk is transformed into milk products, such as cheese (Farm Type 3). The data obtained provides the basis for the subsequent cost–benefit analysis. A sensitivity analysis is also performed based on (i) a scenario approach, which applies an optimistic scenario with productivity increases due to forage grass reseeding and a pessimistic scenario with productivity loss due to adverse climate impacts, and (ii) a ceteris paribus approach. Through farmer interviews, four production methods—(i) Natural/Naturalized Pasture, (ii) Improved Pasture, (iii) Improved Pasture + Herbaceous Legumes, and (iv) Improved Pasture + Dispersed Trees—were identified. For all farm types, profitability increased across the production methods, with Improved Pasture + Dispersed Trees exhibiting the highest profitability levels. Farm Type 1 generated the highest profitability across the production methods, except in Natural/Naturalized Pasture, due to significantly higher total revenue values. Farm Type 3 featured an intermediate profitability level, and Farm Type 2 generated the lowest profitability levels. Farm Type 2 also had the highest vulnerability in the scenario approach, whereas Farm Type 1 was strongly affected by milk-price fluctuations. Despite Improved Pasture + Dispersed Trees being the most profitable production method, its suitability only wholly applies to Farm Type 1 because of increased work time and work-task requirements. For Farm Types 2 and 3, the Improved Pasture + Herbaceous Legumes features enhanced suitability due to decreased labor requirements.
In conclusion, this study identifies key economic farm characteristics and evaluates the different suitability and profitability levels of their transformation into alternative feed production methods. Future research can build upon this to (i) broaden the database for a more substantial generalization of the results and (ii) specify revenue development curves, considering differences in both plant species and plant density.
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