Assessing resilience of small ruminant farms in Spain: A longitudinal analysis based on FADN

Prat-Benhamou, Alicia ; Bernués, Alberto ; Soriano, Bárbara ; Olaizola, Ana M. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Martín-Collado, Daniel

Resumen: In the last decades, increasingly complex challenges are threatening the viability of European small ruminant farming systems. Thus, studying the resilience of small ruminant farms is key to strengthen their ability to face the current global scenario and guarantee their long-term viability. This study uses FADN (Farm Accountancy Data Network) data from 2014 to 2022 to explore how the three resilience capacities (i.e., robustness, adaptation and transformation) contribute to the resilience of Spanish small ruminant farms and examines which farm characteristics are associated with higher resilience outcomes. Each resilience capacity is quantified by considering changes over time in a set of selected indicators. We defined best and worst performers per year for each resilience capacity and used Elastic Net regression models to understand the probability of farms to belong to the best and worst performers based on a set of farm indicators. Overall, farms were more robust than adaptable or transformable, and that their adaptation and transformation was limited. The probability to belong the best performing group was variable in the case studies. Still, some indicators increased farms probability of belonging to the best performing group: Production efficiency for robustness, and Hectares per livestock and On-farm feed ratio for adaptation. By contrast, Family labour ratio was negatively related to the best performers in terms of adaptation. In these regards, strengthening the resilience of small ruminant farms would require strategies building adaptation and transformation considering the farm indicators that contribute to perform better in these capacities.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107684

Año: 2025

Publicado en: Small Ruminant Research 255 (2025), 107684 [9 pp.]
ISSN: 0921-4488

Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/A26-23R
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MICINN PID2020-120312RA-I00

Tipo y forma: Artículo (Versión definitiva)

Área (Departamento): Área Econom.Sociol.Polit.Agra. (Dpto. CC.Agrar.y Medio Natural)