This paper presents a methodology for evaluating production systems by measuring the intern competitiveness of in beef cattle. During the first quarter of 2010, questionnaires were administered to 65 farmers, 36 interviews in the Southern Region (State of Rio Grande do Sul) and 29 in the Northern Region (States of Pará and Rondônia). Defined the key drivers that affect the international competitiveness - technology, management, market relations and institutional environment, an specific weight was assigned to each in order to get the index of competitiveness. The results were statistically analyzed by the item response theory and the correspondence analysis (ANACOR) with the SPSS® software. The South was more competitive than the North. Regardless of region, the critical factors of competitiveness were: crop-livestock integration, strategic planning, calculation of financial indicators, beef pricing, access to technological innovations and organization of farmers.
agribusiness; beef cattle; productive chain; competitiveness; production system
