CALADO, Luísa; DENTINHO, Tomaz    SILVA, Vasco. Study the Viability of the Forest Face to Dairy Farming. A Methodology Analysis Presentation. []. , 16, 1, pp.115-122. ISSN 0870-6352.

In the Azores, dairy farming is the dominant activity of the primary sector, being forestry the remaining activity mainly dominated by Cryptomeria japonica and Eucalyptus globulus. These two species are those that present greater economic interest, being Cryptomeria the most exploited in the Region. The aim of this paper is to analyze the competitiveness of the forest activity regarding dairy farming, taking into account soil and climatic conditions, different technological alternatives and market and regulatory environment. We develop and apply a Linear Programming Model with 123 variables and 77 restrictions. The purpose is to include 10 different types of soil and climatic condiditions, and 3 different management types of forests. The model is calibrated with statistic analysis for wage values, in order to minimize the error between actual and simulated land use. Conflicts between forest activity and dairy farming are mapped and analyzed. We conclude that a reduction of 4% of the milk gross margin can lead to an increase of more than 50% in forest land use.

: forest activity; farming activity; linear programming; models; gross margin.

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