Expansion and updating of the producer profile and production systems at the national level in the bovine livestock sector (ES)

This document aims to characterize cattle production systems nationwide, expanding and updating existing information. To this end, visits were made to 67 cattle farms nationwide to interview producers and collect relevant information to identify and classify the main characteristics of the systems. This information complemented a database available within the framework of the "Construction of the NAMA in Cattle Farming in El Salvador" Action. The classification technique was used using the variables total farm area (ha), herd size, number of milking cows, daily milk production (L), age at first calving (months), and daily weight gain (g/d) as indicators of resource availability and level of technology. Six groups of production systems were found: 1) specialized dairy, with an average herd of 282 head and about 100 Ha per farm; 2) large-scale dual-purpose cattle ranching, with an average of 198 Ha and 87 head (median = 69 head); 3) medium-sized dual-purpose cattle ranching, with an average of 65 Ha of land and 61 head per herd (median = 51 head); 4) small-scale dual-purpose cattle ranching with an average of 19.5 Ha of land and 29 head on average (median = 23 head); 5) dual-purpose subsistence livestock farming, with areas smaller than 10 hectares, where high-density subsistence livestock (~20 head per herd (median = 15 head)) and low-density subsistence livestock (~12 head per herd (median = 10 head)) subsistence subsystems were identified; and 6) beef livestock farming, mainly as a way to utilize crop residues in agricultural production systems with little need for labor for animal management and average herds of 18 head (median = 8.5 head). Milk production in dual-purpose systems ranges between 5 and 8 L per day per cow, with lower yields during the dry season. Average production per dairy cow is 21 L per day. Weight gain in dual-purpose systems ranges between 200 and 400 g per day for animals sold between 10 and 15 months of age. The main challenges identified in the national livestock sector are the rising cost of raw materials (e.g., fertilizers and feed concentrates) and labor shortages. Pasture management is suboptimal, but this could become a clear opportunity to optimize natural resource management in areas dedicated to grazing. This would benefit not only the animal component of the systems but also the ecological and economic sustainability of livestock farming.