Challenges and opportunities to livestock breeding programmes in India.

Animal breeding in India has a long and chequered history. High pressure on agricultural land and increasing human population opened a new opportunity for the livestock and poultry sector as a promising food industry. Productivity of livestock in India is low due to less coverage of livestock under structured breeding programmes, inadequate nutrition and its entanglement with several socio-economic issues. A bottom-up approach to breeding policy formulation addressing local needs is required with assured flow of investments. Cattle slaughter is banned in India; hence, a legal policy to curb widespread indiscriminate mating is required which may incur substantial financial and infrastructural burdens for castration of stray males and strengthening of cow rehabilitation centres. Genetic evaluation of indigenous cattle with progeny testing (PT) requires substantial financial support, without affecting the already existing PT for exotic cattle breeds used in the local cross-breeding programmes and PT of new genotypes obtained from crosses of exotic and local breeds of cattle and for purebred buffaloes. Small ruminants need special attention due to their socio-economic importance in rural and often highly disadvantaged communities and because they are the second most important meat-producing species after poultry. Genetic improvement of small ruminants should be accompanied by attention to shrinking grazing resources which would require strong political will together with financial support. The outreach of breeding programmes for small ruminants is currently limited; there is also a lack of linkage between the market and producers that discourages farmers from adopting clear breeding objectives like improvement in growth rate, as animals are seldom sold on weight basis. Apart from government agencies, involvement of private sector, non-government organizations, local co-operatives, self-help groups and self-sustainable community-based breeding programmes can strengthen market linkages. Strengthening of the existing infrastructure along with technical input and skilled manpower is essential for achieving the breeding objectives.

Coexistence with Large Carnivores Supported by a Predator-Compensation Program.

Compensation programs are used globally to increase tolerance for and help offset economic loss caused by large carnivores. Compensation program funding comes from a variety of sources, and in Wyoming and Idaho, USA and Alberta, Canada this includes revenue from hunting and fishing license sales. We review the patterns of livestock depredation and compensation costs of Alberta's predator-compensation program, and compare Alberta's program to compensation programs in neighboring Canadian and American jurisdictions. Current compensation costs in Alberta are well below historic levels, but have been rapidly increasing in recent years due to an increase in depredation events coupled with increased cattle prices. That increase has caused push back from Alberta's hunting and fishing community that finances the compensation program, although less than 3.6% of Alberta's license levy dollars are used for predator compensation. Hunting effort in Alberta is highest on the same privately owned lands with livestock depredation problems, suggesting that private lands support habitats for hunted ungulate species as well as carnivores. Although compensation programs do not prevent depredation events themselves, compensation programs effectively can support the maintenance of wildlife habitats on private lands.

Innovations and diverse livelihood pathways: alternative livelihoods, livelihood diversification and societal transformation in pastoral communities.

Pastoralists have a rich tradition of 'innovation', as continuous adaptation to new ecological and economic scenarios has been a prerequisite for their survival through the millennia. One of their greatest assets is the large number of locally adapted livestock breeds they have developed, which represent a major resource for climate change adaptation as well as mitigation. Pastoralists are beginning to position themselves as providers of ecological services as well as of livestock products that represent a healthy and eco-friendly alternative to the products from industrial production systems. Nevertheless, many governments continue with antagonistic policies, being unaware of the ecological and economic significance of their pastoral populations. Biocultural Community Protocols, as specified in the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-Sharing to the Convention on Biological Diversity, are emerging as an important tool for setting the record straight about the role of pastoralists in food security and biodiversity conservation. There is a need for increased recognition of the inherent 'modernity' of pastoralism and the role it can play in creating a more green economy. If this recognition is forthcoming and is rewarded appropriately with government support, this may also overcome the current problem of finding enough capable young people interested in pursuing pastoralist careers.

La capacité d' « innovation ¼ est une tradition très présente dans le pastoralisme, la survie des pasteurs au cours des siècles étant tributaire de leur adaptation continue à de nouveaux scénarios écologiques et économiques. L'une de leurs grandes réussites a été le grand nombre de races de bétail sélectionnées localement, qui représentent une ressource importante en termes d'adaptation au changement climatique et d'atténuation des effets de celui-ci. Les pasteurs commencent à concevoir leur rôle en tant que fournisseurs de services écologiques et de produits de l'élevage offrant une alternative saine et écologique aux produits issus des systèmes d'élevage industriels. Néanmoins, de nombreux gouvernements n'ont pas conscience du rôle écologique et économique essentiel de leurs populations pastorales et continuent à appliquer des politiques qui leur sont défavorables. Des protocoles communautaires bio-culturels tels que ceux présentés dans le Protocole de Nagoya à la Convention sur la diversité biologique (CDB) sur l'accès et le partage des avantages commencent à se développer en tant qu'outils pertinents permettant de faire valoir l'importance du pastoralisme pour assurer la sécurité alimentaire et la protection de la biodiversité. Il est nécessaire de mieux faire reconnaître la « modernité ¼ intrinsèque du pastoralisme et le rôle que celui-ci peut jouer dans le développement d'une économie plus verte. Une meilleure reconnaissance à l'avenir, obtenant le soutien qu'elle mérite de la part des gouvernements pourrait apporter des solutions au problème actuel du nombre insuffisant de jeunes gens capables et motivés s'orientant vers les activités pastorales.

Las sociedades pastorales cuentan con una rica tradición de «innovación¼, no en vano la continua adaptación a nuevas condiciones ecológicas y económicas viene siendo desde hace milenios un requisito previo para su supervivencia. Uno de sus mejores activos es el gran número de razas de ganado adaptadas a las condiciones locales que han sabido generar, lo que supone un recurso importante a la hora de adaptarse al cambio climático y atenuar sus efectos. Las sociedades pastorales empiezan a posicionarse como proveedores de servicios ecológicos y de productos ganaderos que representan una alternativa sana y ambientalmente responsable a los productos industriales. Sin embargo muchos gobiernos, incapaces de aprehender la importancia ecológica y económica de sus poblaciones pastorales, siguen aplicando políticas que les son desfavorables. Los protocolos bioculturales comunitarios, definidos en el Protocolo de Nagoya (del Convenio sobre la Diversidad Biológica) sobre «Acceso a los recursos genéticos y participación justa y equitativa en los beneficios derivados de su utilización¼, empiezan a cobrar relevancia como una importante herramienta para poner las cosas en su sitio acerca de la función que cumple el pastoreo para la seguridad alimentaria y la conservación de la diversidad biológica. Es preciso reconocer en mayor medida la «modernidad¼ intrínseca del pastoreo y la función que puede cumplir en el advenimiento de una economía más ecológica. Si este reconocimiento llega, y si se acompaña de un adecuado apoyo gubernamental, ello también podría resolver las dificultades actuales para encontrar un número suficiente de jóvenes capaces e interesados en dedicarse profesionalmente al pastoreo.