Exploring the link between farmers' objectives and the phenomenon of pasture degradation in the beef production systems of Central Brazil

In Central Brazil, half the area under sown pasture suffers from the phenomenon of pasture degradation; overgrazing is believed to be the main cause. Farmers' objectives and their links to the practice of overgrazing have been explored to obtain a better understanding of the decisions related to the setting of the stocking rate. A survey of beef cattle farmers was carried out, preceded by an exploratory poll of experts on such production systems. The method of paired comparisons was used for eliciting and analysing farmers' objectives. 'Intergenerational transfer' and 'cattle ownership' are the most dominant objectives. Because cattle ownership is implicitly included in the assets involved in intergenerational transfer, possessing cattle assumes an outstanding importance in the hierarchy of farmers' objectives. These findings elucidate the paradox of overgrazing and provide a basis for treating the perception on the influence of objectives on the degradation phenomenon from being a conjecture to that of an empirically valid hypothesis. They also suggest the need for incorporating the objective 'maximise the number of cattle owned' in the analysis and modelling of stocking rate decisions. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.