**6. Models of goat production systems**

#### **6.1. Extensive goat production systems**

Extensive systems are characterized by large areas to feed the animals, with a low animal density. It uses soils of poor agricultural ability, located in mountainous areas with large rainfall or in areas of low rainfall, sometimes with extreme temperatures. There is a use of natural resources, made by autochthones goat breeds that are perfectly adapted to the environment, very rustic, but with low productivity.

The goat production in this extensive system uses family labor, often as a second source of income for families. The goat milk is obtained for family consumption or for cheese to sale. However, the sale of the kid goat is the main reason for this production. In the Southern Mediterranean, this product is very appreciated and valued, mainly in the Easter and Christmas seasons.

Usually, the number of animals produced is low and they are usually raised under climate adversities, where probably there are no shelters, no food supplementation and also often these animals have hygienic sanitary problems, which leads to poor economic results.

It turns out that the use of natural pastures can be done in two ways, a mobile grazing system and a sedentary grazing system. The first is characterized by annual or seasonal movements of the animals with the shepherd to new places in search for feed, and while sedentary grazing, the animals are driven freely to pastures near the farm, usually keeping the animals at night in the stable.

In the mountains, they can practice transhumance, which consists of seasonal movement of animals regularly between two or more areas of seasonal pasture, through established paths (called "canadas" in Portugal and Spain), conducted by shepherds in the summer to the mountain to take advantage of the still fresh pastures and return to the valley in early autumn. This modality is currently disappearing due to sanitary issues and also because of the greater easiness to feed the animals through the purchase of commercial feeds.

Although the extensive production is not very productive, it is of great importance regarding the maintenance of the rural landscape and with the aim of the biomass management that avoids the occurrence of forest fires, and where the goats are well adapted to take advantage of these feed resources.

The use of goats in extensive systems can be valued by the quality products. In Europe, many of them have protected designation of origin (PDO) and the protected geographical indication (PGI) which are certified to attest the traditions and specific product qualities, strongly linked to a certain region. The awareness of society about the damaging effects of intensive livestock systems has changed the methods and aims of researchers and even research centers, trying to focus on improving system sustainability instead of increasing productivity [45].

#### **6.2. Intensive goat production systems**

is disassociated with key factors that determine their survival, and their survival is maintained

Goats are the best adapted ruminants to highly antinutrifibrous low‐protein forages, often in conditions of poor availability of water [32, 33]. Goats are opportunistic feeders, the time they spend on grazing species depends generally on the relative frequency of encounters, but this

Compared to other domestic ruminants, namely bovine and sheep, raised in regions of poor agricultural resources, goats' advantage is clear. These animals combine the advantage of being able to feed on a variety of low‐quality fodder and shrubs, they also manage to walk long distances, with short breeding intervals with high reproductive rates, they provide high rates of investment return and, consequently, low investment risk. Goats also have high energetic efficiency in milk production, excellent utilization of marginal lands, a very strong flocking instinct and a docile behavior, which enables herding by children and elders [35, 36].

Farmers tend to have mixed herds of sheep and goats as a strategy to maximize the use of environmental resources [37]. Small ruminants in many traditional systems in the Mediterranean basin are the main source of red meat for human consumption [38], while in Northern Europe, in addition to meat, the milk, wool, and skin were also the main products [39]. However, with development for a market agriculture, meat has become the main product in the sheep sector, while in the goat sector milk has been, and still is, the main product while meat is secondary in most cases followed by skins and hair [40]. There are, however, local variations where a particular product can be valued such as sheep's milk for the production of traditional cheeses and the production of goats in the southern Mediterranean. These products are mainly consumed regionally, constituting market

Often, small ruminants, especially goats, are extensively produced using the poorest land, shrubland, and forest areas where other species cannot survive [41]. This helps to fix the rural population, reduces the risk of depopulation of marginal or less‐favored areas [42–44], and contributes to the maintenance of good agro‐environmental practices and landscape

Extensive systems are characterized by large areas to feed the animals, with a low animal density. It uses soils of poor agricultural ability, located in mountainous areas with large rainfall or in areas of low rainfall, sometimes with extreme temperatures. There is a use of natural resources, made by autochthones goat breeds that are perfectly adapted to the environment,

The goat production in this extensive system uses family labor, often as a second source of income for families. The goat milk is obtained for family consumption or for cheese to sale.

relationship depends on species of vegetation and habitat visited [34].

through feeding supplementation [29–31].

360 Goat Science

niches with low international visibility.

**6. Models of goat production systems**

**6.1. Extensive goat production systems**

very rustic, but with low productivity.

preservation.

Intensification is often associated with a decrease in grazing dependence and an increase in the use of concentrated feeds, mainly cereals, to supplement natural feeds. At the same time, improved and balanced feeding practices together with improved breeds in ruminant systems enabled more efficient feed ratio conversion to meat and milk production rather than to maintenance of the animals [28].

The intensive system implies a high density or animal concentration per area unit, under reproductive and sanitary control, and the feeding process includes advanced technologies. Sometimes, some farms seasonally require higher feed and labor resources such as through the calving season and milk production, so the supplementing of animals with concentrated feed may be needed at this point, but the remaining year is mainly grazing.

In order to meet the feed requirements of animals in an intensive system, pastures must have high dry matter yields per hectare, good growth throughout the year, in both regions with regular rainfall or holdings with irrigation systems, without extremes of heat or cold temperatures.

It is important that the breeds used in the intensive system have a high fertility and growth rates than the adaptability to the environment, that is, the rusticity. The equilibrium with the environment can easily be compromised by the insertion of exotic breeds, as well as with exotic or genetically modified plant species. The intensive use of natural resources may lead to their depletion and increase the environment pollution, having serious social consequences.

**7. Conclusion**

**Author details**

**References**

Institute of Viseu, Viseu, Portugal

Printers & Publishers; 1986

Clássica Editora; 1990. p. 377

April 6, 2017]

Concerning difficult environmental conditions, goats are probably the most well‐adapted farm animals, and due to its cheap management and good meat and milk production, goats have been considered one of the ancient animals to be domesticated all over the world.

Goat System Productions: Advantages and Disadvantages to the Animal, Environment and Farmer

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.70002

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In several regions, namely in Africa and Asia, goats are the most important source of meat and milk to feed very large populations with scarce income. But these animals also contribute to a sustainable farming, a very ecological way of living which enables to use their waist to

We can also find some intensive goat production all over the world, with selected high production breeds, namely for milk and cheese production, and in a near future, we will certainly need to spread the know‐how from goat production research, applied to the different environmental conditions and its regional well‐adapted breeds, enabling higher productions with

lower effort, in order to feed more population from the developing countries.

1 Agrarian Superior School of Viseu, Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, Viseu, Portugal

2 Centre for the Study of Education, Technologies and Health (CI&DETS), Polytechnic

[1] Ensminger ME, Parker R, Ensminger ME. Sheep and goat science. Danville, Ill: Interstate

[2] Capote J. Sustainable goat breeding and goat farming in the Central and Eastern European Countries. In: Kukovic S, editor. European Regional Conference on Goats, Debrecen (Hungary) and Oradea (Romania), 7‐13 April, 2014. Rome: FAO; 2014. p. 297.

[3] Aziz MA. Lohmann information international. [Internet]. Vol. 45, Lohmann Information. Cuxhaven: Lohmann Animal Health GmbH & Co. KG; 2010 [cited 2017 Apr 6]. 42‐52 p. Available from: https://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/abstract/20103348322 [Accessed:

[4] Vieira de Sá F. A cabra, da produção de leite à protecção da natureza. 2nd ed. Lisboa:

Available from: http://www.fao.org/3/a‐i5437e.pdf [Accessed: March 5, 2017]

fertilize crop fields, control and prevent fires by forest grazing.

António Monteiro1,2\*, José Manuel Costa1,2 and Maria João Lima1,2

\*Address all correspondence to: amonteiro@esav.ipv.pt

Goats are well adapted to harsh environments but can also be used in intensive systems with permanent housing, as is happen with many farms for milk production. Here too, mainly because these farms are usually in regions with weak resources, they use less labor but with higher qualifications, with the danger of triggering a process with social negative consequences, namely with soil erosion, high risks of fire and depopulation. Also industrial production can replace the artisanal production, losing ancestral traditions and biodiversity.

Intensive goat farms have higher costs for the installation and maintenance of production than extensive farms (**Table 1**), but their choice should allow for a balance between environmental, economic, and social factors, since only then will it be sustainable.


**Table 1.** Main differences between intensive and extensive production systems.
