Family farm - one of the directions of goat breeding in Ukraine

Abstract

People in Ukraine are paying more and more attention to goat breeding products, and the demand for the products encourages the population to actively engage in the industry. Currently, about 95 % of the goat herd in Ukraine is concentrated in private peasant farms. Today, none of the livestock industries in Ukraine has such a high concentration of animals among the population. So, within the framework of analytical studies, the main types of family farms have been identified in terms of their size and structure. It was determined that they are divided mostly into three main types: small household plots with up to 10 animals, small family farms with up to 100 animals and farms with more than 100 milking goats. An analysis of the farming aspects of these types of farms and the perspectives for further development revealed some general results and general trends. Goat keeping in small household plots with up to 10 goats is not subject to a deep economic and technological analysis, the management is done with an amateur approach, and the technologies are based on personal family experience and vary considerably between them. The goats are only raised for the production of their own family. Goat keeping on small family farms with up to 100 goats is oriented towards the global experience of running a small family business. These farms produce and sell milk, process it into craft products (cheese, yoghurt, etc.) and provide green tourism services. Farms, which contain more than 100 heads of goats can be classified as agricultural enterprises, where industrial technologies for conducting the industry are applied. The products are sold by wholesale or through retail outlets. In general, an analysis of approaches to farming on different family farms has revealed that small family farms with up to 100 animals are the most promising from a socio-economic point of view. They are more progressive than extensive small household plots and are more flexible in many managing aspects than large-scale farms. Family farms are able to respond to market demand in a timely and sufficiently fast manner, adapt to it and make a profit.