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Limitations and Potentialities of Organic or Non-conventional Milk Production in Ecuador

Abstract:

Hunger, poverty, and production are at the core of worldwide problems; this makes it imperative to promote sustainable agro-ecosystems. There is evidence that dairy production under the conventional model is unsustainable, but there is an organic alternative. The aim of this research was to define the limiting and enhancing factors of organic milk production to guide the sustainability of livestock activity in Ecuador. Considering limits, inputs, outputs, and interactions, as well as production factors in the social, environmental, and economic dimensions, we describe the alternative practices of three productive units are described through participant observation, interviews, and laboratory analysis of forage, soil, milk, and water. The results show that there are social factors, such as productive orientation about available resources and the associativity, that are a determinant driver for eliminating dependencies in the establishment of inputs and the commercialization of milk. Environmental factors include the recovery of the biodiversity of forage species in silvopastoral systems that restore biological cycles and soil fertility. Economic factors relate to the availability of resources for acquiring or breeding animals under the non-conventional system and for certification processes. We conclude that organic milk production can be implemented as in the case of the Marullacta farm.