Buffalo milk production system in the Arari region of the Marajó archipelago, Pará

The Marajó archipelago is known for buffalo farming, and has a large concentration this species in the area. Thirty-eight percent of the buffalo in Brazil are located in the Marajó archipelago. The aim of this study was to examine the socioeconomic, productive, and technological aspects of the buffalo milk production system in the municipalities belonging to the region of Arari, Cachoeira do Arari, Soure, and Santa Cruz do Arari in the archipelago of Marajó, Pará. Forty questionnaires containing 25 questions each were distributed to buffalo milk-producing farms. We carried out a hierarchical grouping of producers in which we divided them into four groups. Seventy percent of the producers responded that they produce milk only for marketing purposes. Buffalo milk production in Marajó is concentrated in small properties. Sixty-seven percent of the interviewees responded that food is the main limitation for production. Eighty percent of producers produced milk during some months of the year, and 42% did not develop alternatives to improve their pastures. Most producers (75%) responded that they did not receive technical assistance on their properties. Thus, in this region, the production systems predominantly consist of family farmers without technical assistance and with low use of technology, which limits the growth of dairy activity in the Arari region of the Marajó archipelago. There is a need to develop public policies that improve access to credit and to technical assistance to strengthen production systems in the region.