The Livestock Enterprise as an Autopoietic and Self‐Referential System: A Preliminary Empirical Validation of a Dual‐Core Model With Communicative Membranes in Family Pig Farming

ABSTRACT

The management of livestock enterprises has traditionally relied on reductionist approaches separating biological and organizational components. This study proposes a theoretical model based on autopoiesis and self‐referentiality, integrating communicative membranes and dual cores to explain system persistence and evolution. The objective was to propose and empirically validate this model in family pig farming systems in Mexico. A structured questionnaire using a Likert‐type scale was applied to 30 units, generating indices for the knowledge core (KCI), biological core (BCI), communicative permeability (GCPI) and organizational response capacity (ORCI). Three systemic configurations were identified: loss of stability, static survival, and systemic evolution. Results showed that communicative permeability ( r  = 0.76; p  < 0.001) and the knowledge core ( r  = 0.64; p  < 0.001) were the main determinants of response capacity, while the biological core had a weaker effect. The model explained 58% of variance ( R ²  = 0.58), highlighting communication and knowledge as key drivers of adaptive capacity.