Sustainability of agricultural systems

Dear readers, I have been sharing with you some aspects about the productivity of agricultural systems and which indicators can be used to determine such productivity. These aspects are undoubtedly of great interest for livestock entrepreneurs, but the sustainability of such systems must also be taken into account, since new production models are currently being implemented that take into account economic, social and environmental indicators.

In consideration of the above, a livestock system under a sustainable approach must guarantee the socioeconomic conditions for the family group, the production of good quality animal products and, of course, an environmentally friendly management, all of which will be influenced by the way in which the manager or owner of the agricultural enterprise organizes agricultural production. On the other hand, Pacini, Woosink, Giensen, Vazzana and Huirne (2003) point out that in order to be technically sustainable, agricultural systems must adopt the use of records to evaluate the productive efficiency of the system.

In the same vein, from the environmental point of view, Aguilera, Bruna, Brzonic and Cerda (2003), state that in order for a livestock company to increase its sustainability, it must consider the natural processes of the ecosystem, implementing ecological production alternatives that help to optimize them, which can be achieved using the following techniques:

1) Nutritional balance within the system, which can be achieved with the contribution of organic matter and certain practices that benefit the presence of functional microorganisms in the soil.

2) Protection of the soil surface, through management practices that minimize erosion and conserve water.

3) Diversify the system with species that adapt to the soil and climatic conditions of the farm, which will significantly reduce the use of external inputs, resulting in a management with a better cost-benefit ratio.