Tipologia dos produtores de ovinos e caprinos no estado do Ceará

Abstract

This study aims to identify, characterize and calculate the economic return of each group of sheeps/goats farmers in the municipalities of Tauá and Morada Nova in Ceará grouped according their technologies and raising practices. The primary data were gathered through out questionnaire application. Even though there are several grouping metho- ds, a relatively simple technique that produces results like those obtained by Ward’s method is presented.. We found three raising systems named according to the number of technological practices applied in each system: “high technological discrepancy”, “regular technological discrepancy” and “low technological discrepancy”. The results showed that none of the farmers made part of the high technological system. We concluded that technology makes the difference and whatever is the adopted raising system for goat and sheep requires a minimum number of practices to be programmed in order to ensure economic return. Besides this, the farmers must have suitable rural constructions (fences, pens etc.), machinery, tools, grass and water. Moreover, it must have access to financial resources. All these factors were important to allow the application of better technology in raising sheeps/goats.