SESSION 2 DRAFT: CASE STUDIES DESCRIPTION AND EVALUATION

Case Study 01
(200 to 300 words) Intensive beef production in South America

Uruguay is one of the main meat producers in the world and it ranks second worldwide in
beef consumption per capita, with 53 kg per person per year. It produces about 600
thousand tons of beef a year, 150 thousand tons are consumed in the domestic market,
and 450 thousand tons are exported. These products are exported to over 100 countries
and account for 25% of Uruguayan exports. Beef production is considered to be high
Description1 because there are so many cows in Uruguay that they outnumber people four to one. This
small South American country only has a few million people, but it is the sixth largest beef
exporter in the world, therefore it´s farming system is intensive. In fact, Uruguay is usually
called “a big cattle farm”, with almost 15 million out of 17 million hectares dedicated to
livestock production. Since the harvesting of livestock is responsible for almost 30 percent
of global human-made methane emissions, Uruguay highly contributes to the
enhancement of the greenhouse effect. Even though methane is a short-lived climate
pollutant, it’s very efficient at trapping reradiated radiation. The nation’s agricultural
sector causes about 75 percent of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. Beef
production, however, is a nearly $2 billion local industry, therefore, economically and
socially it is a very important business. Furthermore, Uruguay is a world leader in
economic equality with an almost total absence of extreme poverty, thus without the
beef production this economic equality would not exist due to its high rate of
employability.

1
Elements to add: geographic location of the case study; add a picture representative of the case study, it can be an activity, a
consequence, a map, etc.; description of the case study – in your description you must address how the situation is affecting people,
economy and environment – the three pillars of sustainability.
 Some of the strengths of Uruguay’s beef production are that, due to the high economic
activity it employs many people, therefore boosting the economy. Also because of their
economic stability, they have achieved economic equality with little to no people suffering
from extreme poverty. Furthermore, they are a major food supplier to many countries.

Evaluation Some limitations include the shift from pastures in crop rotation towards continuous
feed-crop cultivation which decreases soil organic-matter contents, reducing soil water-
holding capacity. This may result in lower agricultural yields and reduced resilience to
droughts. Agricultural pressures on water quality in Uruguay are also becoming a major
problem due to increased production in cropping and livestock systems due to a higher
demand in meat consumption worldwide.

Case Study 02
(200 to 300 words)

The life of the Masai tribe of Kenya and Tanzania revolve around cattle. Essentially all
social roles and status are based on the relationship that individuals to their cattle. The
Description2 main dish of the Masai tribe, who don´t eat fruit or grain, involves mixing cow's milk,
together with blood. The blood is drained from livestock and then mixed with milk in a
gourd which has been washed with urine to prevent spoilage. Maasai settled in Namelok
in 1974. The reasons they started farming were population increase and drought. After

2
Elements to add: geographic location of the case study; add a picture representative of the case study, it can be an activity, a
consequence, a map, etc.; description of the case study – in your description you must address how the situation is affecting people,
economy and environment – the three pillars of sustainability.
 they settled in,
population increased so they could not sustain lives by just cows that they had. This
caused them to begin cultivating land in 1990s. Cattle manure is used for fertilizer and
weeding is
done by hand with harrow. With around 14 to 19 head of cattle per person, the Maasai
are one of the wealthiest cattle-owning peoples in Africa. A typical family of around 8 to
10 people owns from 125 up to 140 head, of which over half are milk cows on which the
family depends for daily subsistence, therefore, it´s an extensive subsistence farming
system.
Some of their strengths include having a good treatment of the livestock as no antibiotics
are used and their farming system is low on technology. Furthermore, as a rule, the
Maasai keep as many cattle as possible, so that only a portion of the milk yield is needed
for human consumption, leaving plenty for the calves. They also practice crop rotation
which allows the soil to regenerate.
Evaluation3 However, with the Kenyan government limiting their grazing lands and their
opportunities for territorial expansion, they keep as many cattle as possible in a smaller
amount of land than in previous years, which has become the primary reason for the
environmental degradation of Maasai land. This has led to overgrazing and consequent
erosion is also inevitable. Illegal bush clearance by fire to make fresh pasture and to
control ticks and tsetse files has also increased, destroying the habitats of many species.

3
Provide the strengths/advantages and the limitations/disadvantages – NO USE OF BULLET POINTS.