Abstract :
Small ruminants are important assets in several regions of the world. They account for
more than half of the domesticated ruminants. Despite the growth in goat production in
the world (more than 2% per year), research related to goat production is less than desired.
One underused but potentially valuable approach for research on small ruminants is simulation
modelling. Models of the components of small ruminant systems can enhance the
financial returns and reduce negative environmental impacts. These models can be used to
assess many dimensions of small ruminant production, from rumen dynamics to economic
policies designed to support small ruminant production. Understanding the nutrition, production,
and economic policy feedback signals and planning ahead is crucial to build a
robust and integrated production activity that can be managed under different production
scenarios. System Dynamics (SD) is a computer-aided modelling methodology that can be
used to perform policy analysis and decision support system (DSS) applied to dynamic
problems arising in complex social, managerial, economic, or ecological dynamic systems
characterized by interdependence, mutual interaction, information feedback, and circular
causality. SD can be used as a modelling tool to aggregate knowledge to solve different
types of problems that have a limited scope to a specific location or have broad trends of
applications across locations and areas of science. Important issues of broad application
include the bearings of animal production in the climate change and the impacts of climate
change in animal production, alternative production scenarios of animal and crop integration,
associations between animal production and business (economics, marketing). The
trend of increasing small ruminants in tropical and subtropical regions and an increasing
pressureontropical and subtropical livestock systems to produce food, to feed livestock, and
to produce energy crops warrants the development of DSS to address issues such as what is
the “real” benefits of livestock, the negative impacts livestock can have on greenhouse-gas
emissions and the environment, and the effects of climate change on livestock systems.
