We are students at FFS DOM FRAGOSO, located in the municipality of Independência, in the Santa Cruz community, 14 km from the school. We are presenting about the work of sheep farming at the school.

Sheep farming is a system that requires correct management, such as feeding, which, when done correctly, ensures the well-being of the animals during the dry season. At the school, for example, the sheep spent the summer eating silage made from gliricidia, leucaena and moringa, mixed with fresh ground cactus, both produced at the school, plants that are adapted to the semi-arid region. Other important management practices to keep the sheep farming in good condition are deworming, weaning, vaccination, selection of breeders and castration.

Some of the difficulties and obstacles I faced in my community and on our family property, before I learned about the correct management practices, were the following: we vaccinated the animals in any way, running the risk of losing sheep due to poorly administered vaccines; poorly cleaned sheep pens, which caused diseases in the animals' hooves; and poorly balanced diets.

Some of the predominant breeds at the school are: Santa Inês, which is highly adaptable to the semi-arid region; Morada Nova, a small and very prolific breed; and the Brazilian Somali breed, which is both meat and milk-producing. All of these breeds are adapted to our semi-arid region, which is why sheep farming is of fundamental importance in the lives of families and communities.