Validation of tools for the management of goat and sheep herds in the Pernambuco hinterland

Abstract

Goat culture has been on the increase, mainly in the northeastern region of Brazil, with high productivity demand, at growth of 18.38% in goats and 15.94% in sheep, when compared to the last census. A greater management for the control of animals is consequently relevant. Technologies are increasingly present within productions. Current paper identifies to potential users the primary functionalities for herd management of goats and sheep, so that requirements for the development of a software (called CONTROLAR), are underscored. After the construction of the tool, the validation process occurred to verify the requirements and the identification of alternatives that lead the system to ensure visibility of the animals in the agribusiness in the Pernambuco hinterland. A competitors’ analysis was performed that shared functionality with the proposed requirements of software. A qualitative approach methodology was used, with information collected through structured interviews. Data were analyzed by Bardin’s content analysis. Results showed that there were no significant differences between interviewed professionals and theorists on the theme. Specialists in the field of animal science involved in the work confirmed that functionalities in the CONTROL software were considered valid. In fact, through the system, the animals are registered, even though increased functionality and improvements in their requirements are still lacking.