Decision Support of Ruminant Livestock Systems in the Gulf Region of Mexico

1
Decision Support of Ruminant Livestock Systems
in the Gulf Region of Mexico

• Cornell University
• Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán
• Universidad Veracruzana
• INIFAP, Campo Experimental La
  Posta, Veracruz
• What is our TIES collaborative project? Who are
  the players?
• AnSc 640, TIES Seminar
• 31 August 2005
• Robert Blake and Guillermo Ríos

2
Project objectives (Area of focus rural
development)

• (initiated June 2004)
• Support a research platform
• with emphasis on
• agricultural and environmental management
• aimed at
• improving net economic returns and livestock
  competitiveness.

3
Complementary objective

• Widespread dissemination of research results to
  producers and other interested parties
• Implementation of educational activities
• Short courses
• Training and exchanges
• Postgraduate programs

4
Focus

• Herd nutritional and environmental management for
  meat production
• ? beef ? mutton

5
Information from rapid appraisals

• June-August 2004 63 farms with sheep surveyed
  in five Yucatan locations.
• Primary objective evaluate the limitations and
  opportunities in this sector.
• October-December 2004 60 farms with beef cattle
  surveyed in eastern and southern Yucatan
• Data coding and analysis
• Initial coding and data sets complete for sheep
  survey
• Data available for thesis proyects. Two Cornell
  students (from Australia, Japan) will use them in
  contributions toour TIES project.

6
Two Mexican students began MS programs at
Cornell, August 2005

• Luis Nabté Yucatán
• Victor Absalón Veracruz

7
Total number of students on the TIES research
platform

• 7 UADY 3 Ph. D., 3 MS, 1 BS
• 4 Cornell 1 Ph. D., 3 MS

8
Program of short courses, 2004-05

• September Evaluación nutricional de forrajes
  en la Región del Golfo
• October Uso de un modelo computacional para
  el manejo nutricional de bovinos y ovinos
• November Análisis bioeconómico de alternativas
  tecnológicas y la dinámica de sistemas
  agropecuarios
• February Evaluación del potencial para
  progreso genético en poblaciones de ganado
  rumiante en la Región del Golfo

9
Short course objectives

• Agree on priority research themes (gt175
  classroom hours given)
• Disseminate information through Internet site and
  other avenues
• Forage ? Nutrition ? Bio-economic ?
• management evaluación
• ? Genetic mgt system dynamics
• (SD)
• 5o Aplicación de
  la DS al Entorno

10
5? Curso ENLACES Aplicación de la Dinámica de
Sistemas al Entorno Agropecuario en la Región del
Golfo de México
11
Specific objectives of 5th short course

• Understand basic concepts of SD and modeling
  using this method.
• Demostrate the usefulness of this method... 
• Capstone exercize review a conceptual modelof
  sheep systems derived from our rapid appraisal.
• Begin to specify thesis (research) topics
• Build a collaborative research team
  UV-INIFAP-Cornell (and with UADY).

12
Principal activities, 2005-06

• Disseminate information (e. g., Internet)
• Short courses (e.g., presentations, literature)
• Research platform
• Joint teaching platform
• Implement a new SD course at UV (and UADY)
• Support these platforms with study leaves at
  Cornell
• Profesors/researchers from UADY, UV and INIFAP
• Doctoral students from UADY, (PIFOP-CONACyT
  funding)
• Provide a core program of joint courses
• TIES seminar research and training
  collaborations
• 3 courses on agricultural systems with
  livestock,. 2 with field laboratories in the
  Gulf Region

13
UADY co-directors

• Guillermo Ríos Arjona
• Juan Ku Vera

14
Needs of Yucatan cattle producers

• Farmers assertively identified a series of
  urgent problems to be resolved
• Greater contact, more research and better
  information flow (results) needed between UADY
  and farmers
• Training courses needed for farmers in their
  communities

15
Needs of Yucatan cattle producers (2)

• Themes identified
• Technical-productive (e.g., pasture management,
  feeding, dry-season strategies)
• Production costs (integration strategies)
• Product marketing (e.g., meat price, importation
  limitations and problems)

16
Benefits to UADY from courses and diagnostics

• These tools have helped define problems
  affecting farmers.
• The primary feedback is to opt for
  adjustments that would make more agile
• its structure and
• its operation
• to become more effective in problem solving.

17
Other benefits

• Novel opportunities for graduate and
  undergraduate students.
• Thesis projects based on these themes and
  problems.
• Greater opportunity for obtaining project funding
  federal/state (projects) for the training of
  professionals.

18
Gracias!

• (en Maya) Yum bootik