Continued harvest of the diverse African Animal Genetic Resources from the wild through domestication as a strategy for sustainable use. A case of the larger grasscutter (Thryonomys swinderianus)
Abstract
With the ever-increasing human population, th
e need for efficient utilization of natural
resources will always remain a challenge for both scientists and development workers. Land
sizes are constantly decreasing with each new
generation inheriting land, making it difficult
to keep cattle or larger ruminants in high potential mixed crop-livestock production systems
in the eastern highlands of Kenya. Government services are equally dwindling and it can no
longer maintain breeding studs in research centres and Government farms, most of them
having been sub-divided and given out. FARM-Africa has been implementing a community-
based goat improvement programme whose purpose is to improve the productivity of the
local goats through better management, develop a more intensive goat milk and meat
production system for farmers in areas under land and population pressure which are
increasingly less able to sup
port cattle. Toggenburg dairy goats have been imported and
used as improver breed in crossbreeding with th
e local goats. This paper discusses the role
of farmer groups in breed improvement and development. Also discussed is the role of
improved goat genotypes in improving the livelihoods of the rural resource poor farm
families as well as the problems
that have to be overcome when such initiatives are being
undertaken.
URI
http://www.fao.org/docs/eims/upload/agrotech/1941/r7634_01.pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11295/43690
Citation
Mensah, G. A., & Okeyo, A. M. (2005). Continued harvest of the diverse African Animal Genetic Resources from the wild through domestication as a strategy for sustainable use. A case of the larger grasscutter (Thryonomys swinderianus).Publisher
University of nairobi. Department of Animal Production