Livestock is integral part of a country’s agriculture, and Uruguay is no exception. The livestock industry in the country is based on smallholder family owned farms. The strength of livestock in Uruguay is based on inter-farmer cooperation; when farmers have a problem they will gather together and share their ideas and experience.
This is the story of Gerardo Mora and Ignacio Gonzalez from Uruguay who are working in cattle farming activities. These two cattle producers are not only united by a similar kind of work but a very similar feeling regarding the experience of working with the technicians.
Gerardo started cattle farming with 270 hectares and Gonzalez with 364 hectares. “It’s simply a much better organization of the management and a better dealing of the resources and managing in a strategic way the issue of land improvement”, a 55 year old Gerardo said. The cattle producers used to gather in a school where they have a real opportunity of sharing knowledge.
Aside from meetings at the school, Gonzalez is also part of the board of the promoting committee, Ruta 109. Thus, he has gained very good knowledge and wide experience in group work.
Gonzalez’s land was selected together with seven other livestock producers by INIA in April 2012 for an exchange program. “There are exchanges between the INIA technicians and the cattle producer in order to improve the productive, economic and social indexes”, Gonzalez said.
The organization of the system works so that it is within everybody’s reach. It is just a matter of changing the mind and the way in which management is faced. This change is one that both producers have adopted, and that apparently keeps them pretty busy through the cooperation among them, organizations and systems as a whole.
Blogpost by Dinesh Panday, one of the GCARD2 social reporters.
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