Resource information
There are few reports on dual-purpose cattle systems characterization in Latin America and Colombia based on
large datasets. This limits our understanding of their dynamics, and the establishment of public policies and
government programs to improve their productive performance, promotion and rural development. This study
aimed to characterize very small, small, medium, and large dual-purpose farms in Colombia from technical and
environmental perspectives. The data analysed were obtained from the GanaderÃa Colombiana Sostenible and the
LivestockPlus projects, which gathered information from a total of 1313 dual-purpose farms in Colombia. Farms
were classified as being either very small (1 to 30 bovines), small (31 to 50 bovines), medium (51 to 250 bovines), or
large farms (more than 251 bovines). Numerical and categorical variables were distributed into five components: (1)
General Farm Information, (2) Herd Composition and Management, (3) Pasture Management, (4) Production
Information, and (5) Environmental Information. Each component was analysed using the factorial analysis of mixed
data (FAMD) method. According to FAMD, for the components General Farm Information, Herd Composition and
Management, Pasture Management, and Production Information, the distribution of variables led to a spatial
separation of the centroid from each category of producers. For the component Environmental Information, there
was no separation of the centroid. In general, medium-sized and large farms showed better infrastructure, better
machinery and equipment, and better reproductive practices; however, this was not reflected in a significant
improvement of productive parameters, except for a lower mortality rate. Larger livestock producers need to plan
their livestock husbandry activities properly, based on their better available infrastructure and livestock management
practices, with the purpose of increasing productivity. The main features identified for each livestock producer
category can be the basis to guide and establish policies and programmes for their technological development.
The development of better livestock management practices and the implementation of technology, as well as
technical assistance, should focus on small- and medium-sized livestock producers, which could lead to reaching a
better productive and reproductive performance of dual-purpose systems.
