Sustainability Indicators of Different Production Systems of a Greek Local Sheep Breed

Dimitrios Skordos (), Athanasios Ragkos, Pavlos Karanikolas and George Vlahos
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Dimitrios Skordos: Agricultural Economics Research Institute, Hellenic Agricultural Organization—DIMITRA, Kourtidou 56-58, 11145 Athens, Greece
Athanasios Ragkos: Agricultural Economics Research Institute, Hellenic Agricultural Organization—DIMITRA, Kourtidou 56-58, 11145 Athens, Greece
Pavlos Karanikolas: Department of Agricultural Economics and Development, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, Greece
George Vlahos: Department of Agricultural Economics and Development, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, Greece

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 2, 1-15

Abstract: This study develops a toolkit of sustainability indicators to analyze the economic, environmental, and social performance of various pasture-based production systems rearing Karagkouniko sheep (both specialized and mixed), and compares it with the intensive Lacaune production system in the same region. The analysis showed that despite the lower milk productivity, the group of specialized livestock Karagkouniko farms was more profitable compared to the Lacaune (35% higher net profit) production system, mainly due to savings in purchased feedstuff (64% lower expenses). This implies that grazing—if properly managed—can indeed enhance the profitability of farms. The group of mixed Karagkouniko farms—cultivating crops for both feedstuff and markets—was the least profitable group (−144.76 per ewe) as well as the least efficient in terms of use of energy (EUR 4.66 of output per EUR 1 of energy cost) and agrochemical inputs (537.2 kg of fertilizers and 3.3 liters of pesticides per ha). This suggests that strong organizational skills are required to effectively manage both crop and livestock production. Trade-offs were also observed between the sustainability dimensions. To address these trade-offs and ensure a transition to more sustainable agriculture, a comprehensive framework should be developed, integrating a mix of socioeconomic and agro-environmental schemes.

Keywords: economic indicators; environmental indicators; social indicators; specialized livestock farms; mixed livestock-crop farms; sustainable livestock production; karagkouniko sheep (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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