Sustainability Analysis of Beef Cattle Fattening in Ciamis Regency, West Java Province, Indonesia

Abstract

Demand for livestock products tends to increase so the government issued various policies and programs related to the development of beef cattle enterprises. To get optimum benefit, the development of farm management needs to meet the criteria of sustainable development were associating between the interests of economic, social, cultural, and ecological sustainability.

This research uses MDS (Multi-Dimensional Scale) to analyze the status of beef cattle fattening sustainability. Data collected from 100 beef cattle farmers in Ciamis Regency, West Java Province, Indonesia. The results show that beef cattle fattening simultaneously less sustainable with 37,66 index, but partially the index values of ecology, economy, socio-cultural, technology and infrastructure, and institutional dimensions respectively 69,71%, 63,10%, 43,93%, 11,54% and 00,00%. The dominant attribute of ecology dimension is cowshed cleanliness, while quite dominant is the utilization of agricultural waste to cattle feed and availability of WWTP for waste management. The dominant attribute of economic dimension is place for farmers to sell the cattle. The dominant attribute of socio-cultural dimension is the frequency of extension and training of beef cattle fattening. The dominant attribute of technology and infrastructure dimension is the use of vitamins and probiotics to spur the growth of cattle, while quite dominant is the availability of infrastructure or public facilities, such as slaughterhouses and markets. There is no dominant attribute of institutional dimension, but all of the attributes on the institutional dimension should be the focus of attention to improvement.

Keywords: beef cattle fattening, sustainability, sustainable index