Assessing farmer perceptions on livestock intensification and associated trade‐offs using fuzzy cognitive maps; a study in mixed farming systems in the mid‐hills of Nepal

Intensified livestock production is considered as a promising pathway for smallholder farmers. Nevertheless, this may entail prohibitive investment requirements of labour, capital or trade-offs at farm level that preclude sustainable intensification. We used fuzzy cognitive mapping (FCM) to assess farmers' perceptions changes in the household system resulting from adding their mixed farms. Farmers identified between increased income and farmyard manure versus increases labour fodder imports. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis performed on FCMs showed an increase milk market demand could have strong positive effects income. conclude FCM good tool rapidly identify analyse farmers which revealed although they consider intensification strategy, perceived deepening constraints increasing dependency import makes concurrent (sustainable) these systems unlikely.