ORIGINAL ARTICLE

 

Valuation activity of Public Institutions in northeastern Lavalle (Mendoza, Argentina), according to goat producers

 

Valoración de la actividad de las Instituciones Públicas en el Noreste de Lavalle (Mendoza, Argentina), según los productores del sector caprino

 

 

Dayenoff, P.,^I,II Schiarrone, C.,^II Accorinti, C.,^I,III Morales, M.,^I Pizarro, J.,^I

^IUniversidad Juna Agustín Maza.
^IIINTA Rama Caída.
^IIICONICET-IADIZA.

 

 

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ABSTRACT

The objective of this research was to know how the goat producer perceives the public institutions linked to rural development processes of arid of La Asunción, Lavalle Department, Mendoza Northeast, Argentina. For this, a descriptive - exploratory study of cross cutting was developed, through a survey of 29 producers of a total of 40 residents. The public entities analyzed were: Dirección de Ganadería, CONICET, INTA Lavalle, Lavalle Municipality, Secretaría de Agricultura Familiar and Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. The survey results showed the INTA Lavalle as the best known entity in the area (92.9% of the producers), followed by the Municipality and the Secretariat with 75.86%. As for the institutional participation in specific goat production advice, the Dirección de Ganadería is that of  higher  participation with talks and specific meetings in the goat theme, covering the 38.52% of participation, followed by the Secretariat (21.26% ), and Lavalle Municipality (16.09%) and being the most appropriate themes feeding (25,29%) and facilities (16.67%). As for the institution acceptance, the Municipality showed the highest producers accordance with 48.28%, being the foundation, the subsidy provisions and tools without refund, added to that the institution is in constant contact with the population and in many cases, producer relatives works in it. It is stresses that 10.34% of the producers showed dissatisfaction with all. In the case of Dirección de Ganadería , the acceptance was only 3.45%, being  the producers justification that is an organism that requires the loans refund, which does not provide subsidies, controls the animals moving, requires own register of marks and signals, is responsible for mandatory vaccinations, among others.

Key words: goat production, goat producers, public institutions, advice.

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RESUMEN

El objetivo del presente trabajo fue conocer como percibe el productor caprino a las instituciones públicas vinculadas a procesos de desarrollo rural de árido de La Asunción, Departamento de Lavalle, Noreste de Mendoza, Argentina. Para ello se desarrolló un estudio de tipo descriptivo - exploratorio de corte transversal, a través de una encuesta realizada a 29 productores de  un total de 40 residentes. Las entidades públicas analizadas fueron: Dirección de Ganadería, CONICET, INTA Lavalle, Municipalidad de Lavalle, Secretaría de Agricultura Familiar y la Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Los resultados de la encuesta mostraron al INTA Lavalle como la entidad más conocida en la zona (92.9% de los productores), seguida de la Municipalidad y la Secretaría con 75.86%. En cuanto a la participación institucional en asesoramiento en producción caprina específica, la Dirección de Ganadería es la de mayor participación con charlas y reuniones específicas en la temática caprina, cubriendo el 38,52% de participación, seguido de la Secretaria (21,26%), y la Municipalidad de Lavalle (16,09%) y siendo las temáticas más abordada alimentación (25.29%) e instalaciones (16.67%). En cuanto a la aceptación de la institución, la Municipalidad mostró la mayor conformidad de los productores con 48.28%, siendo el fundamento, la provisión de subsidios y herramientas sin devolución, sumado a que la institución se encuentra en permanente contacto con la población y en muchos casos, familiares de los productores trabajan en ella. Se destaca que 10.34% de los productores mostraron disconformidad con todas. En el caso de la Dirección de Ganadería, la aceptación fue solo de 3.45%, siendo la justificación de los productores que es un organismo que obliga a la devolución de créditos, que no entrega subsidios, controla el tránsito de animales, obliga a poseer padrón de marcas y señales, es responsable de la vacunación obligatoria, entre otras.

Palabras clave: producción caprina, productores caprinos, instituciones públicas, asesoramiento.

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INTRODUCTION

The goat production system in northeastern Lavalle, Mendoza, is in the small producers hands, rural residents averaged about 60 goats / establishment, in an empirical model of natural grassland exploitation in an arid area, mostly without application of technology standards that increases the efficiency of animals husbandries and responding, in all cases, to a subsistence  model so as social, environmental and productive (Torres 2008), in a region with advanced desertification state, scarce water resources, lack of infrastructure and high UBN levels in the population.

Many public and private organizations operating in the area, with the argument of  improving the life quality of the goat producer (Hocsman 2003), developing programs of technical and training assistance, subsidies outlay, credits, building materials, some inputs such as grain corn, among others.

 The objective of this study was to know how the goat producer perceives the public institutions that operating in the La Asunción area, Lavalle, Mendoza, Argentina.

 

MATERIALS AND METHODS

La Asunción is located in the northeast of Mendoza province, in a subtropical arid region, with summer precipitations not exceeding 120 mm per year, high temperatures reaching 43 °C, in summer, with permanent loss of plant cover, by indiscriminate logging and overgrazing, and its geographical position 32º 33.34’ 93'' South latitude and 68º 15.54' 15'' West longitude, distant 35 km from the Lavalle city and 70 km from Mendoza city.

In La Asunción live 40 families whose main commercial activity is goat production, with an average herd of 60 goats, approximately, in an empirical production model, with use of natural grassland in an advanced state of degradation by indiscriminate logging and effect of over animal stocking rate, without application of technological standards that make the goat production system more efficient without investment capacity, without credit access, with poor infrastructure, with high UBN levels, in a subsistence model and high poverty levels.

For this, a descriptive - exploratory study of cross cutting was developed, through a survey of 29 producers of a total of 40 residents.

The survey includes the following questions: 

•     Do you know the institution?

•     Do you works with?

•     Do you receive advice?

•     Do you was invited to an event by the institution?

•     Do you have some tool?

•     Do you increase your production level? 

•     Do you improve your productive activity?

•     Why do you know the institution?

•     What tools were given to you?

•     Did you was advised on goat production?

•     What acceptance level has each institution?

The evaluated public institutions that takes place in the region are:  Complejo Ganadería, with Dirección de Ganadería de Mendoza, Fundación Coprosamen and La Unidad Ejecutara de la Ley Caprina, Complejo Comisión Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas and Tecnológicas- Instituto Argentino de Desarrollo de Zonas Áridas (CONICET-IADIZA), Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria-Agencia de Extensión Rural Lavalle (INTA Lavalle), Municipalidad de Lavalle,  Secretaría de Agricultura Familiar and Facultad de Agronomía de la Universidad Nacional de Cuyo.

For the statistical analysis of the obtained data an analysis of variance with Tukey test was applied for means differentiation, on the quantitative information. The ANOVA proposed by Siegel (1973) for the evaluation of qualitative variables was used which allow comparing the hopes of 2 or more distributions without making the assumption that the error terms are normally distributed. For making the mentioned statistical analysis the software package InfoStat 2.0 (InfoStat 2002) was used, and the graph of the results was performed using the software package Microsoft Office Excel 2007.

 

RESULTS

The results of the seven initial questions showed that 57.3% of goat producers from the La Asunción know any of the six public institutions operating in the region, 38.5% worked with some entity, 38.1% received a tool, 33.9% received advice, 27.6% considered that their quality of life improved, and only 27.1% responded to their increased productivity
goats.

In turn, detailing the responses by institution, the responses of goat producers are showed in figure 1 and it is observed that the INTA Lavalle  is know by the  92.86% of the producers; in terms of the work variable, Secretaría de Agricultura Familiar led the survey with the participation of 65.52% of goat producer from  La  Asunción.

Regarding with if receives specific advice, leads the survey with participation of 65.52%; likewise, consulting if was invited, the same institution was the most referenced by goat producers
(65.52%).

To consider if received any tool, animal husbandry was the most mentioned with 65.52% of the responses and increased to 68.97% positive responses as public entity that favors to increases goat production.

Regarding whether improved their quality of life, the best positioned institution was Secretaría de Agricultura Familar, with 65.52% of positive opinions.

Moreover, the percentage of producers who received specific advice on goat production, as the participation of each institution, 38.51% of respondents received Animal husbandry advices, 21.26 % of SAF and 16.09% of Municipality, while the technical recommendations of IADIZA, INTA and UNCuyo were zero.

With respect to the participation of specific advice on goat production, Municipalidad animal husbandry collaborated in 50.76% of the opportunities, the Municipality in the 28.03% and Municipalidad Secretaría 21.21% of the events, showing a significant statistical difference (P < 0.05) between these entities.

Also, the themes in which were more advised goats producers of La Asunción were: feeding in 50.57% of cases, facilities 33.33% , reproduction 31.18%, health in 29.89% and finally , genetics with only 10.44% of the assists, showing significant statistical difference (P < 0.05) between these entities.

When evaluating the acceptation level described by goat producers for each institution and independently from the advice on goat production that had received, figure 2 show that the Municipalidad have assessment of 48.28%, followed by the Secretaría with 24.14%, INTA Lavalle, with 13.79%, Ganadería animal husbandry with 3.45% and finally, Conicet and the University of Cuyo with zero percent acceptance. It is highlights that 10.34% of the goat producers from the La Asunción did not accept any public institutions that work in the region.

 

DISCUSSION

The survey result showed that despite of the nearness of La Asunción to Lavalle city, head of the Department and Mendoza city (head of the province) and that six public institutions that promote rural development are operating in the region, only 50% of the goat producers in the region know or get any of them, similar situation to that described by Bedotti, et al. (2005) and Valerio Cabrera et al. (2009) and only three (animal husbandry, Municipalidad and Secretaría), all of a political nature, work in counseling directly linked with goat production; in a different way the entities related to science and technology as INTA, CONICET and the National University of Cuyo.

Likewise, as expected, the topic feeding was the most requested by the goat producers (50.57%), considering that animal nutrition is based exclusively on the use of natural grassland, a situation very similar to goat producers from Malargüe (Macario and Dayenoff (2013).

On the acceptance level of each institution, animal husbandry which is the most contributor in counseling only  has 3.45%, being the producers justification that is an organism which requires the loans refund, which does not provide subsidies, controls the animals moving, requires own register of marks and signs, is responsible for mandatory vaccinations, among others; while the Municipalidad has an acceptance about 48%, the subsidy provisions and tools without refund, added to that the institution is in permanent contact with the population and in many cases,  producers relatives working in it. Notably, over 10% of the producers showed dissatisfaction with all public institutions operating in the region of La Asunción.

It is concluded that despite of the number of public entities operating in the northeastern Lavalle in rural development programs, the goat producers of the region showed no accordance with their actions.

 

REFERENCES

Bedotti, D., Gómez, C. A., Sánchez, R. M. E., García, M. A. & Martos, P. J. 2005. “Aspectos sociológicos de los sistemas de producción caprina en el oeste Pampeano (Argentina)”. Archivos de zootecnia, 54 (208): 599–608.

Hocsman, L. 2003. Reproducción Social Campesina: tierra, trabajo y parentesco en el Chaco Árido Serrano. Argentina: Centro de Estudios Avanzados, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba.

InfoStat 2002. InfoStat, versión 1.1. Manual del Usuario. 1st ed., Córdoba, Argentina: Brujas Argentina.

Macario, J. & Dayenoff, P. 2013. “Análisis temporal de la percepción del productor caprino malargüino sobre aspectos ligados a la alimentación animal”. In: Primer Congreso Argentino de Producción Caprina, vol. 1, La Rioja: Gobierno de La Rioja. INTA. UMaza. IPAF Cuyo. Universidad Nacional de La Pampa, pp. 341–345.

Siegel, S. 1973. Nonparametric Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences. Student ed., McGraw-Hill International, 312 p.

Torres, L. M. 2008. “Hilos de agua, lazos de sangre: enfrentando la escasez en el desierto de Lavalle (Mendoza, Argentina)”. Revista Ecosistemas, 17 (1), Available: <http://www.revistaecosistemas.net/index.php/ecosistemas/article/view/110>, [Consulted: May 5, 2016].

 

 

Received: November 26, 2015
Accepted: February 6, 2016

 

 

Dayenoff, P., Universidad Juna Agustín Maza. Email: [e-mail]