‘It is better to herd than be herded’: making a living with goats in the Bajío region, Mexico

Abstract

Goats are renowned for their resilience in harsh environments and their relatively low investment for maintenance. Goat husbandry is thought to be a tool for poverty alleviation. Empirical evidence of this is scant. This research analysed the role of goat husbandry in supporting the livelihoods of smallholders from the Bajío region in Michoacán, Mexico. The Bajío is renowned for the good cropping potential of the land; smallholder goat husbandry is present too but largely unstudied by scholars and ignored by policy makers. The smallholders in the study area deploy a range of assets, natural, physical, social, human and financial, in goat husbandry. Their goat husbandry is dairy-oriented; it is a source of weekly income and insurance and therefore an alternative to out-migration. Farmers' relatively high social capital allows them to access cheap crop residues and take turns herding flocks. The goat dairy market is controlled by a powerful caramel industry. In turn, the margins smallholders obtain are rather limited. The nutritional value of goat milk is not exploited in their households as it is seen as a 'fever' cause, related to brucellosis. Qualitative and quantitative methodologies are based on the sustainable livelihoods approach linked to actor-oriented approaches. The study revealed smallholders' agency by engaging in goat husbandry to deal with a complex institutional and political context dominated by economic liberalization intertwined with local realities such as the agroecology. We emphasize the importance of these findings in development strategies for small-scale goat husbandry systems.

‘La fiebre de Malta’: An Interface of Farmers and Caprine Brucellosis Control Policies in the Bajío Region, Mexico

“…Farmers have learned that drinking raw goat milk can cause fever. This knowledge explains why about half of the households keeping goats in the area do not drink their own goat milk but instead sell it to make cheese or ‘cajeta’ (Oseguera Montiel et al., ).…”

“…The hills of the volcanoes are often communal land used for subsistence cropping. They are used as a feed source for free‐range cattle and goats (Oseguera Montiel et al., ). In the valleys, intensive high‐input crop production takes place and the crop residues in the dry season offer an abundant feed source for small‐scale dairy cattle and goat husbandry systems.…”

Opportunities for Brucellosis Control in Mexico: Views Based on the Sustainable Livelihoods Perspective

“…Goats are the natural host of Brucella melitensis , which is considered to be the most virulent Brucella specie in humans. Caprine brucellosis is a great constraint for smallholder goat farming development and a threat for public health and for farmers' livelihoods (3). Although brucellosis is unlikely to be a fatal disease in humans, who are accidental hosts, it is a severe health condition, very debilitating, and disabling (4).…”

Entre la vulnerabilidad y la invisibilidad científica. Estudio sobre los aportes de las ciencias sociales a la investigación sobre ganadería caprina en México

“…Sin embargo, el acceso al capital natural es obstaculizado por las políticas gubernamentales de privatización del territorio y la implementación de programas gubernamentales de asistencia técnica, que profundizan las desigualdades entre los productores caprinos. Por ejemplo, el caso del programa de tejabanes, que consistía en la entrega de un corral, una máquina de ordeña, un tanque de enfriamiento y un pasteurizador por agricultor, ocasionó más problemas que soluciones para los pastores, porque, amén de la mala calidad de los materiales, estaba hecho para limitar la práctica pastoril(Oseguera- Montiel et al, 2014).…”

“…En un principio, el pastoreo de ganado caprino en las parcelas cumplía el fin de limpiar la vegetación de estas después de la cosecha, mientras que la carne era consumida por los mineros, quienes también utilizaban la grasa del animal para fabricar velas (Oseguera-Montiel, Keilbach-Baer, Van der Zijpp, Sato y Udo, 2014). El sistema de producción que se estableció desde ese entonces fue de tipo extensivo, lo que permitió la difusión de la práctica del pastoreo entre las poblaciones indígenas que trabajaban en las haciendas como parte del orden colonial(Oseguera-Montiel et al, 2014). En los años posteriores a la revolución mexicana, y una vez terminado el régimen de las haciendas, la cría de cabras se asentó principalmente en la región del Bajío y en los estados del centro-norte del país.…”