DOMESTIC ANIMAL DIVERSITY AND BREEDING PRACTICES IN BACKYARDS OF INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES IN GUERRERO, MÉXICO

Abstract

With the objective of analyzing the diversity of domestic animal species and their relation to breeding practices, 273 peasants from three micro-regions and three ethnic groups in the mountainous region of Guerrero, México, were interviewed. With the information, the diversity of species in the production unit was estimated (Shannon-Wiener Index), as well as the dominance, stocking rate and type of breeding. The data were analyzed with the following SAS procedures: FREQ, MEANS, GLM, corresp and npar1way. The farms were grouped into five types of breeding: backyard livestock production (GS, for its acronym in Spanish), GS-small ruminants, GS-large ruminants, GS-ruminants, and just ruminants. The GS-ruminants type of breeding had the highest diversity index (1.27) and stocking rate (7.5 UA), and is practiced mainly by the Náhuatl ethnic group in the middle mountain; next in importance are GS-large ruminants and GS-small ruminants. Backyard livestock production is the one with least value because of its stocking rate (0.7 UA) and diversity (0.38). Domestic animal breeding in the indigenous communities of the zone studied is part of the livelihood strategy of the families, with diverse uses and species of domestic animals, and incorporation of large ruminants with the purpose of increasing the stocking rate