Postprint version. Published in Agricultural Systems, Volume
104, Issue 1, January 1, 2011, pages 13-19. Copyright © 2010
Elsevier. The definitive version is available at
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2010.08.006. Simulation models
are effective tools to examine interactions between livestock,
cropping systems, households, and natural resources. Our study
objective was to use an integrated livestock and crop model to
assess the outcomes from selected suites of management decisions
observed in smallholder sheep-cropping systems of Yucatán,
Mexico. The scenarios contrasted specialized systems versus
mixed farming, and evaluated the outcomes of increased crop-
livestock integration. Mixed enterprise scenarios involving
sheep provided more income than specialized enterprises, and
capitalized on a lower price of on-farm maize grain, efficient
utilization of surplus labor, and availability of common land.
Labor and management income was greatest for the unintegrated
and partially integrated crop and livestock sce