Livestock - What is it? characteristics, importance, types, and more

Cattle raising

Economic activity consists of raising and cultivating animals.

What is ranching?

Livestock is an economic activity that consists of raising and cultivating various animals in order to consume them and meet the needs of some derived sectors, such as textiles, cosmetics, dairy, pharmaceuticals, among others.

Livestock is one of the primary sectors that provides the highest profitability within the livestock sector, and although its origins were rudimentary, livestock production has currently been modernized to increase its benefits and profitability.

Livestock characteristics

The main characteristics of livestock are the following:

• It is an economic activity of the primary sector.
• Its main objective is the production of raw materials of animal origin.
• Its role as a food producer is critical to food security and human nutrition.
• It uses ecosystems that are not appropriate for agriculture or that generate greater profitability from it.
• It is a source that generates income and capital.

Importance of livestock

Livestock plays very important roles and contributions in different sectors. The main one consists of its great participation in the food and nutritional security of the population.

On the other hand, livestock is a fundamental component of world agriculture that also offers significant contributions in different sectors (such as textiles, cosmetics, dairy, pharmaceuticals, etc.) that allow boosting the economy.

Types of livestock

The main types of livestock are the following:

• Extensive livestock: is livestock characterized by raising animals in large tracts of land such as meadows and mountains, in which they can graze and take advantage of the natural resources of the environment. Examples of this type are cattle farming and camelid farming.
• Intensive livestock: is livestock characterized by raising animals intensively so that production is carried out in less time. In this type of livestock, the animals remain locked up in small spaces or even in stables, where they are controlled in addition to feeding, light, humidity, and temperature according to the particular needs of each species. An example of this type of livestock is poultry farming, that is, the breeding of birds.
• Nomadic livestock: is livestock characterized by the transfer of animals to graze from one place to another, so that they can feed naturally according to the availability of fertile land. Examples of this type are goat (goat) and sheep (sheep) farming, carried out in arid areas of Central Asia and Africa.
• Transhumance livestock: is the livestock characterized by the transfer of animals from one place to another to graze and feed, but according to the seasons of the year. Unlike nomadic livestock, these grazing lands are permanent. Examples of this type of livestock are the raising of goats and sheep in some regions of America.
• Sedentary livestock: it is the livestock that is characterized by not moving to feed since the food is supplied to the animals in the place of breeding. An example of this is beekeeping, that is, the breeding of bees to which the artificial supply of food is supplied.

 

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