A BRIEF UPDATE ON SHEEP PRODUCTION IN MEXICO: CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS

Background: Looking towards 2050, substantial increases in agricultural productivity are needed to meet the projected demands of the growing world population. Inevitably, profound changes will occur in the sheep production systems and Latin-American countries such as Mexico will need to adapt to these changes. Objective: To provide a brief update on sheep production in Mexico and discuss the current challenges and prospects. Main findings: The development of the Mexican sheep sector is relatively slow since it is affected by complex factors including social, political, and economic changes that impact sheep production, and consumption of sheep products, as well as the diverse type of production systems throughout the country. Extensive production systems in Mexico are associated with limitations but have the potential for improvement in areas such as nutrition management, breeding programs, and response to consumer perception trends. In this regard, integrated efforts should be made to enhance sheep productivity in Mexico. Implications: The analysis was limited only to scientific contributions explored. An analysis that considered other sources of information could have strengthened this analytical exercise. Conclusion: The sheep industry in this country will concurrently face with two challenges related to increasing production efficiency: a) sheep production aimed to keep sustainability and animal welfare, and b) production of by-products, considering product quality, differentiation, value added, and marketing. Lastly, Mexican sheep production will require to consider the animal, social, and farming systems that together promote sustainable production.