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International Grassland Congress Proceedings XXIII International Grassland Congress

Traditional Livestock Production and Growth Opportunities in India

S. M. Deb National Research Centre on Yak, India

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Part of the Plant Sciences Commons, and the Soil Science Commons This document is available at https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/23/keynote/9 The XXIII International Grassland Congress (Sustainable use of Grassland Resources for Forage Production, Biodiversity and Environmental Protection) took place in New Delhi, India from November 20 through November 24, 2015. Proceedings Editors: M. M. Roy, D. R. Malaviya, V. K. Yadav, Tejveer Singh, R. P. Sah, D. Vijay, and A. Radhakrishna Published by Range Management Society of India

This Event is brought to you for free and open access by the Plant and Soil Sciences at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in International Grassland Congress Proceedings by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Traditional livestock production and growth opportunities in India S. M. Deb

ABSTRACT Livestock and animal health development projects need to be based on an understanding of livestock production systems because different systems need different approaches particularly in view of degradation of environment combined with population pressure. In India, the livestock production system is primarily traditional, consisting of mixed- farming and pastoral systems, therefore, development of marginal and smallholder mixed farms must aim at intensification of the total production system. Resource-poor farming systems may aim at the improved management of the various livestock species in backyards. Pastoral systems must focus on effective management of grazing pressure. Community pasture management involves application of technologies, land tenure policies, institutional development, economic return and a reduction in the number of people depending upon livestock. The challenge is to reverse the current degradation of the environment, and arrive at sustainable increases in crop and livestock production to secure present and future food supplies. Key words: Environment, Integrated farming system, Traditional livestock production

Introduction farming system or may constitute the whole farming system. Seré and Steinfeld (1996) The sustainability of many crop and broadly classified livestock production livestock production systems in many systems into four types: countries is threatened by population growth and changes in consumption patterns. i) Grassland-based systems, based solely on Increased cropping, changes in cropping livestock, in which more than 90 percent pattern and intensity and overgrazing of of the dry matter fed to animals comes from pasturelands lead to soil degradation and these rangelands, pastures or home-grown endanger food production. Especially the forages. livestock sector is often blamed. Strategies for sustainable agricultural and livestock ii) Rain-fed mixed farming systems, in which development are needed to meet the increasing more than 10 percent of the dry matter fed demand for food and employment, and to to animals comes from crop by-products. reduce the degradation of the environment. iii) Irrigated mixed farming systems. Description of livestock production systems: iv) Landless livestock production systems, Livestock production systems may be which are solely livestock-based with 10 classified according to a number of criteria, the percent or less of the dry matter fed to main ones being integration with crop animals being farm produced. production, the animal-land relationship, intensity of production, and type of product. A Modern and traditional livestock livestock production system can be considered production systems have been distinguished either as a component of a mixed crop-livestock on the basis of factors of production. Modern

Proceedings of 23rd International Grassland Congress 2015-Keynote Lectures 69 Deb systems have large capital requirements and (Birthal et al., 2006), however, livelihood of employ substantial amounts of hired labour, marginal communities are dependent on it. while traditional systems mainly rely on family The major factor in pastoral systems is the labour and the extensive use of land. In general, mean rainfall, its reliability and distribution. traditional livestock systems are far more Three types of pastoral system can be identified prevalent in India than modern systems. (Jahnke, 1982): The traditional livestock production 1. Nomadic pastoralism, which is a pure systems can be subdivided into two broad pastoral system, characterized by little or categories: Grassland-based Systems and Mixed no agriculture and by high mobility of or Integrated Farming System. people and animals in search of grazing The grassland-based systems again have and water. Livestock species reared under been subdivided into: this system are primarily sheep and goat. i) Traditional pastoral systems, found in 2. Transhumant pastoralism, which is based arid areas receiving less rainfall per on more or less regular seasonal annum and where cropping is not migrations from a permanent home. The practised. sheep, yak and mithun rearing are categorized under this system. ii) Traditional agro-pastoral systems, which occur in arid and semi-arid areas with 3. Agro-pastoralism, in which livestock medium annual rainfall and whose main production is associated with dryland or crops are millet and sorghum. rainfed cropping and animals range over short distances. They are village-based Pastoral and agro-pastoral systems: Pastoral herders, who make a substantial systems are associated with zones that are too commitment to farming, although this dry for cropping to provide a basis for remains subsidiary to pastoralism for the subsistence and are defined as land-based purposes of household income. The systems, where the grazing of ruminants is the commonest species kept in agro-pastoral predominant form of land use. Based on the systems are cattle, buffaloes, camel, sheep degree of economic dependency on livestock, and goats. a pastoral production system has been defined as one in which 50 percent or more of Mixed or Integrated Farming System: Livestock household gross revenue comes from livestock in India are raised as a part of mixed farming or livestock-related activities, or where more systems. Mixed farming systems are considered than 20 percent of household food energy is environmentally most benign and sustainable directly derived from livestock or livestock- because of complementarities between crop related activities (Swift, 1984). Pastoral systems and livestock production. Animals derive most are mainly found in the arid and semi-arid of their feed–fodder requirement from zones of Rajasthan, Gujrat, Haryana and agricultural residues and by-products, and in Ladakh region of India. Pastoral systems are turn provide draught power and dung manure also prevalent in the humid and sub-humid for cropping activities. zones of Himalayas, including North Eastern In India mixed rainfed system is practised hills of India. Approximately 4% of on 46% of land and mixed irrigated system on agricultural land is used under this system 37% land. The mixed crop–livestock systems

70 Proceedings of 23rd International Grassland Congress 2015-Keynote Lectures Traditional livestock production and growth opportunities in India are characterized by considerable farmers is low, average 0f 1.16 hectares. The heterogeneity in terms of species, production marginal (> 1 ha) and small farmers (1-2 ha) efficiency, management practices and constitutes more than 80% of the farming commercialization (Birthal et al., 2006). This community. Additionally, about 43% of the heterogeneity was captured by Rao et al. (2004) rural household does not possess agricultural who delineated 15 crop–livestock systems, and lands (Agricultural Census, 2010-11). The found cattle or buffalo as the second or third situation increases the cost of livestock feeding, largest economic activity in most of these which constitute major part of the livestock systems. husbandry. However, livestock have remained an integral part of the socio-economic fabric of Mixed farming systems, however, are rural India as a source of livelihood and a undergoing a steady transformation due to provider of draught energy, manure and fuel. increasing pressure on livestock to produce Therefore, in rural India a growing livestock more to meet the growing food demand. The sector, which is mostly traditional livestock non-food functions of livestock, that is draught production system, augurs well for the low services and manure production, are declining income households to augment their income in importance because of increasing use of bio- and escape poverty. mechanical inputs in crop production and declining size of land holding. Thus the Livestock in the livelihoods of the poor: interactions between crop and livestock Livestock are integral to the livelihood production are likely to weaken, giving way to strategies of hundreds of millions of resource- emergence of commercial production systems poor crop–livestock farmers and pastoralists based on high-producing animals and external and of many millions of the rural landless. inputs. For instance, poultry production in While the way livestock contribute to India has largely been transformed from a livelihoods varies considerably between backyard activity to a commercial activity. The households and regions according to the commercialization trends are also visible in the different types and attributes of livestock, the case of dairy (Birthal et al., 2006). level of household resources, and the degree of market integration. The herd size of livestock Issues related to traditional livestock reared by landless and marginal farmers in production majority part of India is less than five. Several Livestock resources and land holding: India has nomadic tribes (e.g. Gujjars, Bakarwals, Gaddis huge population of different livestock species. and Changpas, Brokpas, Drokpas etc.) rear The total livestock population consisting of buffaloes, sheep, goat, mithun, yaks, pigs on cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat, pig, equines, traditional production system. camels, mithun and yak in the country is 512.05 Millions of poor people in the drylands of million numbers as per 19th livestock census. western India, the Deccan Plateau, and in the However, on the one hand the productivity is mountainous reaches of the Himalayas, very low because of poor genetic resources of depend only on livestock for their livelihoods. indigenous livestock, which constitutes 135.2 Rainfed and arid agriculture alone supports million goats, 61.3 million sheep, 152.2 million 60% of the livestock population (Prasad, 2010). cattle, 7.8 million pigs, 0.3 million mithun, 0.08 In view of low productivity and high million yaks and non-descriptive buffaloes. On uncertainty in crop production, majority of the the other hand the land holding size of the people in rain-fed regions depend on livestock.

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It contributes to the livelihood of the poor in ability to use poor quality feed and to survive many ways – income from products, insurance with reduced and/or irregular supplies of feed against drought, emergency cash and water, yet they are low producer. Selection requirements, household nutrition, fuel for for milk production or higher growth rate in cooking, manure for crops, draught power for indigenous livestock breeds is constrained due farming etc. Evidence shows that smallholders to small and fragmented livestock holding. obtain nearly half of their income from livestock There is an urgent need for conservation of the that may contribute up to 62 per cent of their indigenous breeds along with rapid livelihood requirements (Ramesha and improvement in productivity of livestock to Bhattacharya, 2008). meet the higher demands for animal products The smallholders and landless farmers in future. Sustained economic and income together control over 75% of country’s livestock growth, and urbanization are causing resources. Since the livestock wealth is largely significant changes in food consumption concentrated among the marginal and small pattern in India. Consumers are including more landholders in India, it is expected that any of high-value commodities like animal growth in the livestock sector would bring products in their food baskets. Breeding policy prosperity and livelihood security to the small for livestock for augmenting production, thus, holders. should be developed keeping in view the existing or potential feed supplies and Feed resources: Inadequate feed quality and management practices. quantity impedes increased animal production under traditional production system. Most of Animal health: The control of animal diseases the available feed energy supply for livestock still has a high priority in livestock production, originates from commons, pastures and crop mainly because infectious diseases can cause residues. The rearing of livestock on a variety heavy losses. Some of these diseases can be of grazing lands is and age-old practice. True controlled with relatively cheap vaccines. pastures and grasslands are spread over an However, the control of infectious diseases area of about 12.04 M ha in India in form of the with vaccines cannot be seen in isolation from subtropical, temperate and alpine pastures. other technical inputs better housing and Other grazing lands are available under tree hygiene, nutrition and scientific management crops and groves (3.70 M ha), on wastelands practices. Obtaining veterinary services under (1.50 M ha) and on fallow lands (2.33 M ha). traditional livestock production system is far The availability of the herbage, its growth from satisfactory and farmers practice stage and nutritive values largely influence the traditional herbal treatment. Therefore, the production performance of the animals, as the Governmental approach to improving animal supply of supplementary feeding is limited for health should follow the pathway of reducing the animals raised on free ranges. Therefore, disease occurrence by identifying and production of milch animals is highest when controlling the risk factors which contribute to grass is at its best in terms of quality and the occurrence in a given region. It may be quantity during rainy season. noted that the failure of some international Animal genetic resources: Though many eradication campaigns was due not to a lack indigenous breeds have special adaptive traits of a suitable vaccine, but to the poor veterinary like disease resistance, climatic tolerance, infrastructure.

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Environmental considerations: Livestock this unpredictable, vulnerable and dynamic particularly yak, yak-cattle hybrids, hill cattle, environment, they have developed successful mithun, sheep, goat, buffalo, camel and horse mechanisms of adaptation to maintain an are reared by around 20 pastoral communities ecological balance between themselves and the living in these difficult hilly terrains of the natural environment. It is, therefore, an western and eastern Indian Himalayas. This economic and social system well adapted to eco-friendly system of animal rearing plays a dryland and hilly conditions and very important role in the food security, characterized by a complex set of practices and economy and culture of these transhumant knowledge that has permitted the maintenance pastoral communities. These pastoral of a sustainable equilibrium among pastures, communities rely on natural pasturelands for livestock and people. The pastoral their livelihood. They move along with their communities are marginalized and generally herds from one pasture to another for utilizing not given due consideration in wider socio- the available major feed resources. Hence, political analysis and their livelihoods are grasslands are the major feed reservoirs for their vulnerable to climate change, shifting global animals, whereas, the forage cultivation markets, population growth and increased remained almost neglected in these high competition for land and other natural altitude areas. Beside, grazing in temperate/ resources (Rota, 2009). alpine pastures, fodder trees and shrubs are The pastoralists used the following also fed to the livestock. Due to overgrazing, strategies to manage the environment in a coupled with poor management and care, these sustainable way while also (a) assuring a grazing lands have deteriorated to a large continuous food supply, (b) minimizing risks extent and need amelioration or rehabilitation to people and livestock, (c) avoiding disease for sustained animal production. outbreaks and (d) containing social and Livestock and pastoralists: Pastoralists, who political instability: derive more than 50 per cent of their incomes i. Livestock adaptation: Pastoralists own any from livestock and livestock products, are of a wide range of indigenous livestock people who live mostly in arid, semi-arid and selected on the basis of survival and remote hilly areas. Their livelihoods depend productivity, and are well adapted to the on their intimate knowledge of the surrounding prevailing climatic conditions. Their ecosystem and on the well-being of their pasturelands are also characterized by livestock. Pastoral systems take many forms species diversity to optimize different and are adapted to particular natural, political pasture resources and conserve the and economic environments. The types of ecosystem. livestock kept by pastoralists vary according to climate, environment, water and other ii. Mobility: Economically logical and natural resources, and geographical area, and environmentally essential, mobility is the may include camels, goats, sheep, yaks, mithun only way to make sustainable use of and horses. pasture lands. The pastoral system is Pastoralists inhabit zones where the moved to fit the environment in order to potential for crop cultivation is limited due to make the best use of the available resources. low and highly variable rainfall conditions, Mobility enables pastoralists to take steep terrain or extreme temperatures. Within advantage of pasture resources that are

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only seasonally accessible, and allows production and its complex relationships access to other resources and services. between the biological, technical and social Moreover, thanks to mobility, pastoralists components of these systems. There has been can obtain sufficient supplies of food, an over-emphasis on large farms and rather forage and water, or avoid disease than towards smallholder farms which possess outbreaks. majority of the livestock populations. Therefore, livestock development projects have iii. Diversification of livestock species: By not always led to substantial or sustainable keeping more than one species of livestock, long-term increases in productivity or farmers’ pastoralists can generate a wider variety welfare. Milk and meat yield per cow tend to of livestock products and make better use remain low, although total production has of the available forage in different seasons, increased, mainly due to increased animal even in times of crisis. numbers. The increase in the number of iv. Maximization of stock numbers: Such animals has not always been accompanied by accumulation helps ensure survival of an improved availability of feed resources, herds despite losses incurred during resulting in overgrazing and erosion, or droughts or disease outbreaks. It also reduced health and performance. represents a method to accumulate food Feed quality and quantity, combined with stock and marketable assets that they can low producers prices often force farmers to eventually sell at the risk absorption stage, accept low levels of production, compensated when all efforts are directed to sustaining by large numbers of animals. Improving milk the most valuable animals while the less production though crossbreeding have often valuable are used to buy food. failed, particularly when applied to small v. Splitting of herds: This is a coping strategy mixed-farming systems. The commitment to aiming at reducing competition among stimulate the development of the rural livestock herds for forage and water resources and sector has been lacking, resulting in inadequate optimizing pasture use. producers organisations, limited access of small and marginal farmers to markets and vi. Redistribution of assets: Mutually supportive credit, high risk technologies, underdeveloped relationships among pastoral infrastructure, low and fluctuating producers communities assure that food, cash and prices and weak marketing infrastructure. labour are redistributed on a reciprocal basis when required. The pastoralists have Opportunities for traditional strong traditional institutions that play a production significant role in periods of stress to regulate natural resource use and The focus for the growth of the traditional conservation, manage risks, protect livestock production system in India is the resources and promote collective actions sustainability, which is also the integral part for mutual safety. of the management of natural resources. Use of biotechnology, selective breeding, scientific Major constraints in livestock development: management and nutrition are some of the Livestock development programmes up to now technological options for sustainable livestock were hardly based on the understanding of the production, however, the options have to be livestock production systems, multipurpose limited to the natural resource base: animal feed

74 Proceedings of 23rd International Grassland Congress 2015-Keynote Lectures Traditional livestock production and growth opportunities in India and genetic resources (Kaasschieter et al, 1992). hay or silage-making, although common on large commercial farms, is not generally Feed resources: Technological options for practised by small and marginal farmers. quantitative and qualitative improvements in Ensiling is limited by the small quantities feed supply are available but must be placed involved and high investment costs, however, in the broader context of livestock development. pooling resources by marginal and small Sustainable livestock systems, which depend farmers enables silage pits to be filled quickly. on the degraded communal pasturelands (including commons, wastelands etc.) for their Burning of crop-residues should be limited feed supply, require a balance between stocking to increase the feed base and to avoid biomass rates and the carrying capacity of the pasture. and nitrogen losses from the system. However, In pastoral societies, communal control of crop residues have low nutritional value and grazing pressure, together with measures to digestibility. Chopping and/or chemical increase the offtake of stock by marketing, are treatment of straw with urea, supplementation essential before technical measures and of straw rations with green forages/legumes investments to improve the pasture (e.g. and molasses-urea blocks are some of the rotational grazing, fodder banks) can be technological options to improve intake and successful. The development of watershed sometimes digestibility, and therefore animal management can be undertaken. performance. The pressure on communal pasturelands Animal genetic resources: The two main in the arid and semi-arid areas can be reduced, technological options available for the particularly in the dry season, by providing preservation of animal genetic resources are supplementary feeding of existing fodder trees in-situ preservation of live animals and ex-situ and shrubs, fodder banks, mineral blocks or preservation of germplasm in cryogenic by access to cultivated lands (stubble grazing storage. Live animal preservation has the and crop residues). Even feed storage at the advantage that the breed can gradually end of the rainy season can be considered. respond to changing external influences, but The feasibility of improving communal the high costs, the number of animals required grazed rangelands in the arid, semi-arid or hilly and disease risks make this method less areas through the introduction of improved attractive. Cryogenic preservation of semen grasses, pasture and tree legumes, and shrubs and embryos generally implies an initial is doubtful. Improved pasture and fodder investment in storage equipment and, although production has a role to play on mixed crop- semen is cheap, relatively high collection costs, livestock farms, although land is the limiting which are largely compensated by subsequent factor. Technologies for pasture and fodder low annual storage costs. production are available, and include legume The best way to conserve indigenous fodder banks and/or the inclusion of a forage breeds will be by management and selective legume, cultivation of short-duration fodder or breeding and upgradation programmes. The improved pasture in the crop rotation or on most appropriate breeding option will be the fallow land. They provide a feed reserve in the use of nucleus breeding herds, which supplies dry season, when the quantity and quality of farmers with male breeding stock or semen. In the natural pasture is at minimum. indigenous cattle and small ruminants, Pasture and forage conservation through nucleus breeding plans might be the only way

Proceedings of 23rd International Grassland Congress 2015-Keynote Lectures 75 Deb to supply small farmers with performance- wasteland etc.) management, coupled with tested males. animal health programmes and institutional development for higher economic returns are Strategies and policies: Strategies for required besides the application of sustainable livestock production systems must technologies for improving the productivity be part of a broader strategy of rural livestock and livelihood of the resource-poor development, including generating off-farm pastoralist. employment where possible. Priority must be given to livestock systems which make the Small mixed-farming systems: The largest contribution to the nation i.e. development strategy for the resource-poor pastoralism and the mixed-farming system of subsistence farmer should emphasise the the resource-poor small holder. Strategies for improvement of farm management, and in the livestock development must incorporate the long run the incorporation of these groups into role women play in livestock activities, such the market system. Livestock development as small livestock rearing, on-farm processing plans must take into account the diversity of and marketing of livestock products. Women livestock species and, therefore, appropriate should have equal access to education, credit packages for cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goat, yaks, schemes and extension. The training of female mithun, camels, pigs etc. must be developed. farmers and extension staff should have These packages include aspects of feeding, priority. health and hygiene, housing and breeding and should be relatively small scale. The income of Pastoral systems: Strategies for pastoral these subsistent farmers is too low to justify societies must focus on controlling grazing large investments. pressure on pasturelands, and slowing or even reversing desertification and degradation. The challenge of intensification of Strong commitment, community awareness livestock production of smallholder mixed and involvement to keep stocking rates under farms is to improve the efficiency of the control depend on the creation or strengthening production system, by reducing the losses from of pastoral groups. The main strategy is to the system, by improving soil and by making regulate grazing pressure to the seasonal feed better use and management of locally available availability, integrated with the land-use resources, through low-cost technological systems, marketing and animal health interventions. Matching the feed availability programmes. Drought risks can be reduced by with the requirements of the livestock improving marketing facilities, early warning population is important for marginal and systems, stable prices of animal products and small farmers. This can be achieved through a by building-up emergency stocks of feed. better use of feeds, treatment or supplementation of crop residues, and by Improved veterinary facilities at strategic making more effort to benefit from agro- points can increase the efficiency of pasture industrial by-products, forage production and utilisation. The veterinary services should aim feed conservation. Increased production per at the prevention and control of diseases, with animal is to be achieved by better feed, animal active participation of pastoralist groups in the health, genetic improvements, management planning and implementation of animal health and remunerative producer prices. The campaigns (FMD, HS, parasitic diseases etc.). emphasis must shift to disease-causing risk Communal pastureland (including commons, factors, such as under-nutrition, poor hygiene

76 Proceedings of 23rd International Grassland Congress 2015-Keynote Lectures Traditional livestock production and growth opportunities in India and management that affect the productivity systems need different approaches. The of the herd and animal health. increased degradation of the environment, combined with the increased population Extension programmes must concentrate pressure, requires that livestock development on guidance in animal nutrition, including programmes reconsider priorities and options. forage conservation, reproduction, animal In India the livestock production system is health and breeding. primarily traditional, consisting of mixed- Dairy systems may offer the greatest scope farming and pastoral systems, and more than for social and economic development. In order 80% of the resource-poor farmers are involved to generate rural employment and added value in it. Therefore, development of marginal and in the rural area, the emphasis may be given smallholder mixed farms must aim at on small scale processing for the rural intensification of the total production system, population. in which external inputs are indispensable, but Policy considerations: Technological options with the emphasis on optimum input-output to improve sustainability are available and relationships by reducing resource losses due increasingly developed, but their application to poor management. Resource-poor farming depends on the economic attractiveness to the systems must aim at the improved marginal and small farmers. Sustainable rural management of the various livestock species livestock development generally needs the in backyards and very small farms, and proper parallel development of private technical packages for cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats, support services, not only in the animal health rabbits and poultry should be developed. field but also in the field of artificial The multipurpose functions of livestock insemination, breed improvement, animal feed, and complex relationships between the marketing, processing and finance. However, biological, technical and social components one should realise that the goal of the private require a systems approach, whereby nutrition, sector in maximising profits, despite animal health, breeding, biotechnology generating off-farm employment and income, knowhow, inputs and technologies are used may be in conflict with the need and costs of to optimise resource use. protecting the environment. Moreover, it is doubtful whether the private sector will focus Pastoral systems must focus on effective its attention on the resource-poor smallholder. management of grazing pressure of the Systematic monitoring and critical evaluation pasturelands. Communal pasturelands of extension, research, development work, management involves not only the services and group activities is essential. development and application of technologies, but also land tenure policies, institutional Conclusions development, economic return and a reduction Some of the livestock and animal health in the number of people depending upon development projects resulted in livestock. The challenge is to reverse the current unsustainable systems without substantial degradation of the environment, and arrive at increases in animal productivity, when they sustainable increases in crop and livestock were not based on an understanding of production to secure present and future food livestock production systems. Different supplies.

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