Extensive livestock farming is the practice of livestock farming carried out in large areas so that said animals can graze, that is, it is a procedure related to raising cattle in large areas of land, which could be equivalent to up to two animals per hectare. Generally, these areas or territorial extensions have the particularity of being natural ecosystems modified by humans according to their needs, proposed to natural cycles with extensive plant production for feeding cattle. Regarding the surveillance and control of animals, it is carried out sporadically since they are allowed to graze throughout the territorial space so that in this way they are in charge of collecting their own food.
Extensive livestock is declared to be the most common type of livestock, which is generally chosen in territories of tropical America, Australia and the Pacific islands; for its part, it is almost absent in territories of Asia and Africa. With regard to Latin America, those territories that are in deforestation, it is common that they are used for extensive cattle ranching. Immersed in this livestock system, we could incorporate sustainable livestock, which refers to livestock that lasts over time, maintaining a given level of production that does not harm the environment.
Animals in this system live in natural living conditions, which allows them to remain healthy and fertile. The weight gain of these animals varies between 0 and 450 grams / day; they also need little medication and veterinary attention.
In 1992 the Earth Summit was held, it is a United Nations conference on Environment and Development, held in Rio de Janeiro, here mention was made of extensive livestock farming and its role in the conservation of the diversity of rustic breeds, in addition to managing their environment through traditional practices and knowledge in the exploitation of the natural environment.
