Animal genetic resources
for food and agriculture (AnGRFA) play a crucial role in human nutrition and animal
products provide essential nutrients to humans for growth and reproduction.
AnGRFA is now clearly split in two lineages; highly specialized breeds and
indigenous/local breeds.
Highly specialized breeds
have been selected for certain characteristics. Because of the severe selection
for a certain traits, other traits are deleted from the genome. These breeds tend
to require high inputs in feed, medicine, shelter etc. Maintaining these breeds
is costly because they need high tech and special care. For further
understanding, see the link below.
The
main purpose of this article is to convey the importance of indigenous
livestock breeds, generally called “breeds of the south”. Southern breeds are
multipurpose and are crucial not only for food production but need very low inputs
and produce food regardless of climate change and drought conditions. Here I
present the salient characteristics of the Southern breeds.
Multipurpose
Keeping
multipurpose livestock is part of a survival strategy which people have
developed to cope with variable and extreme climatic and environmental
conditions. In some areas, livestock are critical to human survival, since the
potential for growing crops is limited or non-existent. Although in extensive agricultural production
systems hardiness and adaptability to extreme conditions have priority over
productivity, local breeds can have remarkably high production potential. One
of the best examples is milk production potential of the camel, which produce
milk even in hostile and harsh environments.
Hardiness
Local livestock
breeds are hardy and resistant to drought and diseases. Resistance to diseases
is very important trait as people are very reluctant to soaring use of medicines
in specialized breeds for disease control. Breeders know the importance of
relevant breed and can well define special traits of their animal genetic
resources. Special traits include disease tolerance, drought resistance,
thriftiness, phenotypic markers and compensatory growth etc. Some phenotypic traits
are linked with productivity, one of the best example is white color among Kohi
breed of dromedary camel in Pakistan producing more milk than the brown one of
the same breed.
Well-adapted
local breeds that are raised without special feed (concentrate) or preventive
health care are increasingly recognized as more productive than imported
exotics and “improved breeds”. Local breeds thus form the most suitable
foundation for sustainable livestock production in rural areas.
Source
of Food and economic security
Maintaining a
wide spectrum of local animal breeds is crucial to food security, poverty
alleviation and sustainable development. The safeguarding of locally adapted
livestock breeds is therefore very much in the interest of developing countries
both for present and future food security. Rising incomes lead to rising demand
for specialized foods generated by a diversification of animal production
systems. They are of social benefit as “insurance” against natural disasters or
economic bottlenecks. Local livestock breeds perform as ATM for its keepers. In
drought like condition they migrate to other areas and save their livestock and
livelihood. There breeds have very good walking ability and conserve a lot of
food in good day (good vegetation) in the form of fats and use in rainy days
(difficult days)
Cultural
and historical identity and indigenous knowledge
Local livestock
breeds reflect the cultural and historical identity of the communities that developed
them; therefore, conserving these breeds is necessary to maintain cultural
identity. Local livestock breeds are embedded in indigenous knowledge (IK).
Indigenous knowledge of animal breeding is composed of various concepts and
practices used by livestock breeders to influence the genetic composition of
their herds. It includes cultural concepts, local preferences for certain
adaptive and socio-cultural characteristics, selection for locally desirable qualities,
pedigree keeping, special traits etc.
Unfortunately
such precious AnGR is under threat
According to the
UNFAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization), globally about 1000
of the 6400 recognized breeds have become extinct during the last 100 years.
One-third of these died out between 1985 and 2000 (FAO, 2001). The vast majority of the threatened breeds are from the South
because of the many reasons; one of the major reasons is the poor and ill
characterization and documentation of local breeds. The other reason is
political backing for the import of exotic breeds. Also, import of exotic
breeds is an easy way to increase production and there is no need of lengthy
institutional work and process. Also western governments promote their breeds
to support their breeders and give the breeds in the form of aids to developing
countries. Such aids are mostly conditional, to promote their genetic resources
and make developing countries dependant. Reasons for the high extinction
rate are complex and interrelated. Policies and developments that disenfranchise
or marginalize ethnic minorities; conflicts and wars; natural disasters,
inappropriate development aid focusing on short-term benefits and change in
social systems are also responsible for the extinction of breeds.
Conclusion
Local breeds
might be more efficient than the high yielding specialized breeds on the basis
of inputs. Such breeds are crucial to achieve the MDGs of the UN. The major
themes of MDGs include food security, child/women health and poverty reduction.
Such themes can be easily covering with the development of indigenous livestock
breeds. Because of the poor characterization and documentation of the
indigenous livestock breeds, policy makers always chose the easy way of
importing high yielding breeds. This phenomenon ever accelerated the process of
extinction of local AnGR, especially, cattle, pig and poultry.
It is the need
of time to characterize and documents the local AnGR according to the
perspectives and breeding goals of the relevant breeders. For this purpose module
is produced by the author to correctly characterize and document the local AnGR
and help in the mitigation of loss to these precious livestock genetic
resources. Society of Animal, Veterinary and Environmental Scientists (SAVES)
is working on the correct characterization and documentation of local breeds.
Also conservation (through strengthening and promoting the breeding communities)
is one of the priority goals for SAVES.
To know and
understand that specialized module, author is available at the email below.
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