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The aim of this study is to show how the farm size may play an important role on effectiveness of human resources.
For this purpose, 23 Spanish farms ranging from 300 to 2.300 reproductive sows were used. Farms were divided in three different groups according to size; 300-500 sows as small (n=9), 500 to 800 as medium (n=6) and higher that 800 as big (n=8). Different parameters were considered apart from sow number (SN): weaned piglets per sow and per year (WSY), weaned per worker (WW), worker number (WN), sows per worker (SW) and hours of work per sow and per year (HSY).
Farm size did not significantly affect (p>0.05) production performance measured as the piglets weaned/sow/year. As expected, increasing sow number the H/S/Y is decreasing. However H/S/Y variability between farms is much higher for small than for big farms. Middle size farms show a mixed tendency, four farms behave as small and two as big. Even though the number of workers (NW) increases with the number of sows, the data follow two different patterns; one includes the small farms plus four medium and the other all big plus two medium. Small farms increased the workforce at a rate of 0,77 workers per 100 sows meanwhile big ones do it at 0.37 workers per 100 sows. Differences between the two groups might be explained by several factors including the quality of the facilities and equipment, the quality of the workforce, as well as the ownership of the farm.
The effectiveness of human resources (workforce), measured as weaned per worker, is much higher in big than in small farms. Middle size farms (500 to 800 sows) have an equidistant position and consequently may have the highest chance to optimize their ratios. Further research is needed for a better understanding of the factors determining the relationship between productivity and human resources structure of farms
M Collell, C Piñeiro, J. Gasa. Effect of farm size on effectiveness of human resources. IPVS, 2012.
