Quality products from extensive mixed farming systems on Lesvos island.

Y. Hadgigeorgiou, D.Papavasiliou & G.Zervas.

Efficient extensive farming systems in less-favoured areas are based on the optimum utilization of local natural and human resources. As an example, the mixed farming system practiced on Lesvos, one of the Greek islands, was studied in detail.

Farmers on Lesvos traditionally cultivate olive trees on the relatively fertile and accessible parts of their land for the production of quality olive oil. However, they also herd small flocks of sheep to graze the herbage under the olive trees, and rough grazing lands, for milk and lamb production. Olive tree prunings are also fed seasonally to these animals, and supplementary feed is provided during periods of low forage availability and high nutritive demand of the animals. Sheep milk is delivered to local cheese making plants, mainly for the production of a hard cheese named "Ladotiri". A scheme for grading milk quality is applied, based on milk fat and microbial content. Farmers allocate their working time, seasonally in different proportions, between olive tree cultivation and sheep raising.

A survey on 22 farms of mixed production orientation was conducted and data collected on the size, production orientation, inputs and outputs of the farm. The survey revealed that the average farm owned 4.9 ha of olive tree land and 9.2 ha of rough grazing land. However, these figures increased to 18.4 and 25 respectively through rented land. Average flock size was 92 sheep and goats for each farm, producing an average of 142 kg milk/year. Energetic requirements of the animals were calculated and found to be covered by 37% through purchased feedstuffs and 63% through grazing. Furthermore, the work invested on the average farm was 2340 hours/year from the farmer and 650 hours/year from members of the farmer's family, since the degree of the farm mechanization is very low.

This system makes effective use of renewable resources by providing 33% of the nutritional demands of the sheep (energy and other nutrients) through grazing the olive groves. Also, the available local workforce is sufficiently integrated in the production system. Nevertheless, the studied system could be improved through a rational regime of rough grazing land utilisation, and the creation of a local institution to guarantee quality of the cheese. If this were the case, more farms on the island would adopt this production system.

John Hadjigeorgiou (mi354@macaulay.ac.uk) & D.Papavasiliou, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Production Div., 6 Kapnokoptiriou street, ATHENS 10176, GREECE

G.Zervas, Agricultural University of Athens, Dpt. of Animal Nutrition, 75 Iera Odos, ATHENS 11855, GREECE.