Agroecological performance of small-scale dairy and dual-purpose systems in two contrasting zones in central Mexico.

Livestock production systems across the globe are facing several environmental, economic, and social challenges. Several studies have shown that the sustainability of small-scale dairy farms is quite challenging, especially when the production is diversified. Most CAET studies are highly heterogeneous in the methodologies used to evaluate their performance, especially across diverse agroecologies. Hence, it’s quite difficult to conclude the reasons behind the differences as were reported in several studies in the past. The Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE) was used to assess the level of agroecological transition of these systems based on the evaluation of ten agroecological elements. A series of interviews was conducted in the field with 40 small-scale dairy farmers in a temperate Northwest (n = 20) and subtropical Southwest (n = 20) study areas of central Mexico during the summer of 2024. The sample of 40 farms, 20 per agroecological area, was decided in order to collect sufficient information for the assessment of the agroecological performance, following previous work from other authors. Of the participating farms (n = 20) in the Northwest zone, 11 were non-agroecological, and in the Southwest zone (n = 20), 16 were non-agroecological, that is, more than half of the total sample for each zone. These farms are oriented towards the production of milk, beef, and other products in response to market demand and prices, without further consideration of adverse environmental effects. Notwithstanding the different contexts in the two study areas, there were no differences (P > 0.05) in the global Characterisation of Agroecological Transition (CAET) scores. The overall CAET mean score was 45.90 for the Northwest farms and 44.71 for the Southwest farms, which places them as non-agroecological farms but approaching the 50 point score towards initial agroecological transition. However, the fact that two farms in each study area obtained a mean CAET score over 70 points, which typifies these as agroecological farms, sets a precedent on the potential and a path to move forward in the agroecological transition of the small-scale livestock farms in this study, outlining areas for research and adoption of technologies and practices that other farmers may follow in their agroecological transition towards more productive, efficient and sustainable livestock systems.