Ruth M. Gatenby
Small ruminants systems in India are in many ways similar to those in Africa; technical aspects are broadly similar but the sociological conditions are rather different. The following is a brief look at some aspects of small ruminants research in India which may be of benefit to research workers in Africa.
Some statistics of India and Africa are given in Table 2. The area of India is approximately one-tenth that of Africa. Within India there is a wide range of climatic zones. The lowland areas range from desert to humid zones, with temperate conditions in the northern states. The human population in India is more than that in Africa so that the population density is about 15 times greater. Thus the food production per unit area must be considerably higher to support the population. The number of cattle in India is similar to that in Africa, and there are 3 times as many small ruminants in Africa than in India. Nevertheless the density of small ruminants in India is more than 3 times as great as in Africa.
Table 2. Area and populations of India and Africa. Source: FAO (1981a).
|
|
India |
Africa |
|
Area (ha) |
3.0 × 108 |
30 × 108 |
|
Human population |
7.0 × 108 |
4.8 × 108 |
|
Cattle population |
1.8 × 108 |
1.7 × 108 |
|
Sheep population |
0.4 × 108 |
1.8 × 108 |
|
Goat population |
0.7 × 108 |
1.5 × 10 |
|
Number of sheep and goats per hectare |
0.37 |
0.11 |
Agricultural Research in India includes research coordinated by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (I.C.A.R.), research in universities and research undertaken by international organizations. Veterinary and agricultural research is being carried out in universities throughout the country. International organizations such as the World Bank have agricultural schemes and there are many charities operating in India. However there appears to be little unilateral foreign aid related to production of sheep and goats. The I.C.A.R. coordinates a large proportion of research on small ruminants. It operates three all India coordinated research projects on breeding sheep for fin wool, breeding sheep for mutton and breeding goats for meat.
The Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute (C.S.W.R.I.) was set up in 1962 by I.C.A.R. with the help of U.N.D.P. It is situated near Malpura on the edge of the Thar Desert in Rajasthan, one of the most important sheep rearing areas.; It is 26°N, annual rainfall is 500 mm and temperatures range from 4 to 43°C. A considerable effort at C.S.W.R.I. is being put into the development of crossbred sheep. Crossing of local carpet wool breeds (Chokla and Nali) with exotic fine wool breeds (Rambouillet and Soviet Merino) has produced sheep which yield a 2.5 kg fleece with a fibre diameter of about 23 m m which is suitable for processing on worsted systems. Similarly crossing extremely coarse wool breeds (Malpura, Sonadi) with fine wool breeds has given a superior carpet wool. Crossbreds for mutton production have been developed by crossing local breeds with Suffolk and Dorset rams.
The division of nutrition has been studying the nutritive value of local grasses and fodder trees as well as improved feedstuffs. Supplementation with molasses, sugarbeet pulp and urea is being investigated. An interesting project is underway to evaluate the relative economics of sheep and goats on degraded range-land. Technical problems of artificial insemination are being studied in the division of physiology. Climatic physiology studies include determining the water requirements of different breeds of sheep and the causes of canary colouration i.e. yellowing of wool. The health section concentrates on diseases observed in research flocks, and these include pneumonia, Johne's disease, sheep pox, enterotoxaemia, parasitic gastroenteritis, facial mange and abortion.
The division of wool science at CSWRI has been evaluating local and crossbred wools, evolving an appropriate grading system and developing methods of processing. Finally there is an extension division which disseminates research fundings to the farmers by radio, leaflets, farmers' meetings and individual contact.
The success of CSWRI in introducing crossbred sheep into the semi-arid areas is limited because the farmers are unwilling to adopt the innovation. The price paid by the wool traders for the better quality wool is no higher than for the local wool. Any increased fleece weight and growth rate are offset by higher mortality of the crossbred rams and their progeny. Until the harsh conditions of Rajasthan can be ameliorated there seems little point in trying to improve productivity by introducing exotic blood. At present breed comparisons are made on the research station where the sheep are zero-grazed with good quality forage and lambs are allowed to suckle a goat if they are not receiving enough milk from their own dams. Outside the research station the sheep are managed on a transhumant system and for most of the year exist on a poor supply of low quality forage. Unless comparisons of breeds are made under realistic conditions field performance is unlikely to be improved by breeding.
A much more satisfactory approach to improvement by breeding is in operation at Palmaner in Andra Pradesh. The Animal Husbandry Department buy local rams which they have selected for weight (at a given age). These rams are distributed to farmers some distance away and give superior growth rates in the progency. This practice has been operating in many states since about 1960.
The limiting factor is the number of rams which the Department are able to select. Care must be taken to ensure that the rams are of an acceptable appearance in the area in which they are distributed; for instance farmers refuse to use a ram of a colour not normally found in their locality.
In the south of India in Tamil Nadu are the Nilgiris hills. The climate here is pleasantly cool and the local Nilgiris breed of sheep was developed by the European settlers. It produces a fine-wool fleece of about 1 kg/year, whereas the other breeds in Tanil Nadu are hair breeds. At the Sandynallah sheep breeding station in the Nilgiris hills a breeding project is underway to cross the Nilgiri sheep with Merinos to evolve a new, larger breed of sheep with a fleece weight of 2.5 kg. The "improved" sheep are meeting with little success in the area because the majority of land in the hills is devoted to intensive crop and dairy production. The sheep must survive on steep hillsides, field boundaries and on crop residues. It is not economical for the farmers to devote resources to their sheep which operate on a low input - low output basis.
There is little local demand for fine wool (it is sent up to the north of India) yet the crossbred animals are demanding in terms of nutrition if mortality is not to be very high. There are only 15,000 sheep in the area (and 2000 of these are on the research farm) so that the effort put into breed development seems misplaced.
The government of India is aware of the importance of small ruminants to the landless peasant. The banks give a loan to the peasant to allow him to buy 15 to 20 ewes and one ram. An agricultural adviser helps in the purchase and sees that the animals are insured, dewormed and vaccinated. The loan is repaid with a low level of interest over 2 years. This scheme began several years ago with the purchase of cows. It has now been extended to sheep and ducks. Goats are not included in most areas because of their alleged destruction of crops and trees.
Despite the efforts being made to increase productivity of sheep the CSWRI reported in 1981 that "sheep development activities taken up in different states of the country in the last few years have not made much impact except in Jammu and Kashmir. " The reasons for lack of progress in the tropical and sub-tropical areas in India are many. Primarily, the objective of research appears to be poorly defined. Considerable effort has been put into the development of breeds for wool production without due consideration of the other uses of sheep (meat, milk, hides, manure, investment) and without realizing that considerably greater inputs into the system are required if an exotic breed is to be introduced. The single-minded breeding approach must be replaced by an interdisciplinary approach giving attention particularly to problems of nutrition and marketing.
Scientists studying small ruminants in India tend to be geographically isolated with respect to other areas in India and abroad. Within India there are different languages and cultures as well as strong caste divisions. The scientists have no economic incentive to develop packages that are satisfactory, and there is a temptation to stagnation. Despite good extension activities, farmers are reluctant to take up the new breeds proposed by the scientists because there is little or no benefit in doing so. Improvements in productivity are likely to come from more appropriate schemes such as ram selection and distribution, and government grants allowing motivated people to enter the sheep production industry.
