11 ref.

Four livestock systems are described. The beef cattle system in practice by some 1,234 farmes, 80 percent having 50 head, They use traditional technology, and employ labor at 0-100/week, Some 8,784 animal were slaughtered in 1994. The dairy, semi-intensive system includes about 200 farmers, mostly commercially-driven Mennonites. The use improved technology, and depend mostly on family labor. In 1994, they produced 3 million lbs. of milk. There are about 200 farmers with commercial pig production, ranging from 5-70 sows/unit. They produced about 1.7 millions lbs. of meat in 1994. The backyard system may include as many as 2,000 farmers with pigs, chickens, sheep and bees, managed by Mayan and Mestizo farmers for subsistence. There is no information on their productivity. The importation and consumption per capita, respectively, are 6 por ciento and 13.6 lbs. of beef, 8,4. por ciento and 25.3 lbs. of milk and 59.3 por ciento and 16.8 lbs of pork. (MV)