Economic-environmental contributions of a dairy agro-ecosystem

Abstract

According to the Theory of the Total Economic Value of the Ecosystem, the techniques of economic-environmental valuation allow us to identify the main environmental functions that are directly or indirectly reflected in the market, which makes them one of the most widely used techniques for the economic valuation of the environment. This research was carried out with the aim of estimating the environmental costs and benefits generated in a dairy agro-ecosystem and with the application of economic-environmental valuation methods. To this end, the general functions of support or load, joint production, habitat and regulation at the end of 2018 were studied, applying the dialectical-materialistic method, as the guiding method of the research, in addition to empirical methods based on scientific observation and documentary analysis and the measurement method to describe and analyze the behavior of the functions studied. For the economic-environmental valuation analyses, items such as gross benefit, direct costs and avoided costs were calculated. It was found that the goods and services existing in the dairy ecosystem contribute to the total economic value a very favorable economic benefit, which is supported by a correct management of them, standing out in the contributions made by the functions of joint production, support or load and habitat. The integral analysis of the functions that make up the total economic value of any livestock ecosystem offers the possibility of deepening its efficient management and what this activity contributes in a sustainable manner in Cuba.