Factors influencing the use of non-timber forest products in cattle production under humid tropical conditions

Abstract

As more attention is paid to the integral management and the problems of cattle production systems in the achievement of sustainable productivity and competitiveness in the territories of the Colombian Amazon region, it is necessary to determine the socioeconomic factors that affect the use of the potential and comparative advantages of productive units located in the region for nutritional supplementation from local inputs, such as Non Timber Forest Products (NTFP). For this purpose, a descriptive-cross-sectional scope with non-experimental design and quantitative approach study was carried out, applying the collection instrument to the sample size defined in a nonprobabilistic way in the municipalities of Albania San Vicente del Caguán, El Doncello, Puerto Rico, and Cartagena del Chaira of the department of Caquetá Colombia. Information was systematized using the R software, where the principal component analysis of the socioeconomic factors with the use of cattle nutrition in the NTFP was carried out. It was found that the factors that have the greatest impact on the use of NTFP are related to the degree of knowledge about NTFP and the strategies for the transfer of scientific knowledge as a complement to the knowledge of the producers.