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Short agrofood chains are organizational and commercialized types for the approach of producers and consumers. Theoretical foregrounding is necessary to investigate higher economic performance. Current paper proposes a study method on short chains by employing the Economy of Transaction Costs, Measuring Costs Economy, Resources-based View and Entrepreneurship Theory. The method was then applied to the study of milk sheep-breeding in Brazil. The agroindustrial system of sheep milk in Brazil is organized vertically to avoid high transaction costs in incipient and poorly structured markets. Probably this is not a transitory factor since the links between agents are prone to be strengthened. Efforts are also needed for improvements and innovations in processes and products due to the fledging condition of the chain. Results show that the study model analyzes a short agroindustrial chain and characterizes it to provide strategies in management and coordination to improve the system for sustainable competitive advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Coccidiosis is the infectious disease with the greatest economic impact in poultry production. Additionally, chemotherapeutic growth promoters are being substituted for safer alternative strategies. Objective: To evaluate the effect of feeding oleoresins from chili pepper (Capsicum annuum) and turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) on the performance, survival rate, and the Productive Efficiency Index of broilers from 1 to 21d challenged by Eimeria sp. Methods: A total of 700 male 1-dayold chicks (Cobb 500) challenged with Eimeria sp, were assigned to a completely randomized design with four treatments: (1) negative control diet, without anticoccidial agent or growth promoters; (2) control diet+0.05% salinomycin; (3) negative control diet+100g/ton; and (4) negative control diet +140g/ton of test product (Curcuma longa L. plus Capsicum annuum oleoresins). Results: Body weight, weight gain, feed conversion and Productive Efficiency Index did not differ between broilers fed anticoccidial chemotherapeutics and oleoresins. In addition, there was no difference in feed intake and survival rate between dietary treatments. Conclusion: Broilers supplemented with chili pepper and turmeric oleoresins from 1 to 21d present similar body weight, weight gain, feed conversion, and Productive Efficiency Index compared to broilers supplemented with chemotherapeutic anticoccidials without affecting feed intake or survival rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the sustainability of a commercial organic broiler production system based on the concept of strong sustainability. Thus, the FIVE SEctors of SUstainability model (5SE N SU) under a perspective of Goal Programming philosophy were used and the results were compared to a commercial convencional broiler production system. For the data collection, two case studis were carried out in a representative commercial organic broiler production system (U P r O) and commercial conventional broiler production system (U P c) in the state of São Paulo from October/2020 to June/2021. The environmental and social dimensions were considered as providers of resources for the system and receivers of products and negative externalities. Environmental criteria were performed using the Emergy Synthesis, while economic criteria were performed using calculation models based on Economic theory. Furthermore, social criteria were performed using data collected on a farm. In the end, the broiler production system sustainability was compared using a general sustainability index by means of the Goal Programming philosophy. The results show a trade-off between animal welfare and economic and environmental costs. The lower stocking density in U P r O raised the animal welfare by providing more area/animal, but increased the resource consumption, GHG emission and the production cost. However, when social results were considered, U P r O showed more pathways to achieve a more sustainable commercial broiler production, as shown by the general sustainability index (43.2 and 49.4 for U P r O and U P c , respectively). [Display omitted] • Organic broiler production was more sustainable than conventional production. • There is a trade-off between broiler welfare and economic and environmental costs. • emergy could be used to policies creation from broiler fair price suggestion. • Stocking 12 birds/m2 raises the sustainability and holds the organic law compliance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lamb production in Brazil has the state of São Paulo as its largest consumer market, but due to competition for area with other agricultural activities, sheep farming in São Paulo underwent an intensification of the production system to achieve better economic profitability. This intensification can compromise the sustainability of the system. There is no research concerning about emergy evaluation on lamb production systems applied in Brazil, so this is the first paper to discuss the sustainability of lamb production systems using this method. Therefore, this article proposes to discuss the importance of considering environmental aspects in the economic analysis of production systems, aiming at the sustainable development of the sector. This study assessed the economic and emergy performance of three different sheep farms in Brazil managed under different levels of technology: Intensive, Semi-intensive, and Feedlot. Results show that from an economic perspective, the Feedlot system is more attractive (9,800 US$/yr for net profit) than Intensive and Semi-intensive ones, while emergy synthesis show that Semi-intensive system (30% for renewability) should be prioritized. On the other hand, when emergy is analyzed from an economic perspective based on Emdollars (Em$, with an 'm'), the economic advantage regarding the production cost of Feedlot on the Semi-intensive system becomes less evident. The Intensive system obtained the worst performance for economic, and emergy indicators. More than contributing to the discussions about the importance in considering a systemic perspective when quantifying the economic performance of production systems, this study also (i) establishes the most sustainable sheep farm system that could be supported in Brazil, and (ii) make available new unit emergy values that would enrich the existing emergy databases. • The synthesis emergy together with the economic assessment are performed for three sheep production systems with different levels of technology. • Intensive systems (Intensive and Feedlot) are economically profitable, but generate greater pressure on the environment. • Semi-intensive systems present less pressure on the environment, but are not economically viable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed at assessing and comparing the sustainability of a Brazilian production unit representing the production of broilers reared in an organic system (U P r O) with a handling unit for the production of broilers reared in a conventional system (U P c) based on Emergy analysis. The analysis was carried following four steps: (i) definition, location, and data collection of broiler production units; (ii) Emergy diagram drawing; (iii) Emergy table construction; and (iv) result assessment according to the Emergy indicators in the graphical tools. According to the results, U P r O showed better environmental performance than U P c while U P c showed better productive efficiency. However, the Emergy Sustainability Index (E S I) results indicated that U P r O is sustainable in the short term, while U P c is unsustainable. Also, it is possible that the best environmental performance by U P r O is at the limit for systems specialized in the broiler production with a high-intensification degree. Since the corn and soybean meal were the inputs that most contributed to the total Emergy for both systems, and the yield comes from less concentrated sources of energy, the decision-making should be focused on to improve the environmental performance of the commercial broiler production systems being directed towards the reduction of the environmental load, from the use of ingredients with higher renewability(R %), i.e. organic corn and soybean feed usage. [Display omitted] • Commercial organic broiler production was better in environmental performance. • Commercial conventional broiler production was better in productive efficiency. • Organic broiler production is intermediate to integrate and intensive bird systems. • Organic feed usage could increase the commercial broiler system's sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]