Small ruminants projects in LEADKR-PRODER European Rural Development Programs in the South of Spain: A survey analysis

摘要

Mountain livestock systems, and particularly those based on breeding small ruminants, constituted traditionally a mainstay element of the local economy in Southeastern. Spain's mountainous areas. With the rural exodus which began in the early sixties,these systems were in critical danger of disappearing, due to, among other causes, the scarcity of shepherds and goatherds, the breakdown of an equilibrium between agriculture and animal farming, the small herd sizes, management and handling problems, etc. In spite of this, there have recently been several attempts by the local population to develop the mountain livestock by recovering autochthonous breeds, solving sanitary and livestock handling problems, and the commercial revalorisation of dairy products and their derivatives. EU aid to the small ruminant sectors, through, among others, the LEADER and PRODER European Rural Development Programmes, has no doubt helped to promote these efforts. This paper, after a brief description of the small ruminants systems in the Penibetic region, comments on the main results of a survey performed to the Local Action Groups (LAG) representatives, and analyses the extent of the inclusion of Southeastern Spain's mountain livestock projects in the EU rural development programmes (LEADER and PRODER). Finally some conclusions and main strategic actions to full advantage of the potential of small ruminant projects for the design of sustainable rural development processes in less favoured rural areas, are mentioned.