Utilização da palma forrageira (Opuntia fícus-indica) como alternativa econômica na localidade barriguda, Riacho Frio - PI

Abstract

With each passing year, drought periods in the Northeast are longer, which reduces the availability of feed to animals. However, the palm is a forage that adapts to the conditions of the semi-arid region supporting a great dry season, and therefore, has been presented as a variable food alternative in this scenario, due to this problem, this work has as main objective to verify the impact (Opuntia fícus-indica) in the feeding of the herds in the locality of Barriguda, Riacho Frio-PI municipality. Initially a bibliographic survey was carried out for theoretical basis. The research developed was a case study, an on-site visit was carried out, where points were collected with GPS for the elaboration of a location map of the study area. A total of 43 semi-structured questionnaires were applied to the community living in the area. After applying the questionnaires with the families of the locality, it was observed that 86% of the interviewees do not use the palm as an alternative feeding for the animals, this value becomes high in comparison to the 11% that use the fodder in animal feed, among the Four (4) have cattle herds and at least one (1) is a pig farmer. Some producers do not have expenses because they do not hire labor, because the family itself assists in the management of the animals and in the preparation and planting of the forage, as well as in the administration of the food, besides not using another type of complementary food. Among the respondents who do not use the palm, 27 producers use the feed, 8 rent pasture and only 3 use the feed and the rent together, the feed becomes a more expensive alternative, because 1 60 kg bag costs 65.00 R $. In view of this, we have seen that the producers who use them do not have such high expenses, however, the cattle ranchers who do not use this measure end up having very expensive expenses.