India’s northeast recommends a ‘mission on pig production’

Pigs at the Drestry Farm Industry commercial pig farm, in India’s northeast state of Assam (Sonapur, Karchia Village; photo credit: ILRI/Stevie Mann).

In view of the pig production potential in . . . [India's] Northeast and eastern states, a mission on pig production with focus on strengthening large pig-breeding farms and other infrastructure, incentives for producing feed input materials, improved package of practices, vaccines and diagnostics, pork processing plants and linking of pig producers to markets should be initiated,” says a working group on animal husbandry set up by a government planning commission.

‘The country has 13.84 million pigs and the Northeast has 26 per cent of the population. . . .

Rameshwar Deka, scientist (livestock and livelihood) International Livestock Research Institute, Guwahati, said it would be ideal to establish medium to large pig-breeding farms in the region for their multiplication under the private sector with support from the government.

‘“The private sector will have to step into the pig sector in the region and there will have to be support from the government,” he said.

‘Deka said capacity building of all those who are involved in pig rearing and marketing is the need of the hour.

‘The group said protection of pigs from classical swine fever in particular is a must. . . .

‘The mortality rate in pigs because of classical swine fever varies from 60-80 per cent.

‘Nearly 80 per cent of the population in the Northeast are indigenous people and pig-keeping is an integral part of their life.

‘Swine fever, also known as hog cholera, is a highly contagious viral disease and is said to be the most serious threat to the pig population in the Northeast. . . .’

Read the whole article in The Telegraph (Calcutta): Panel stresses pig rearing: Working group stresses setting up of large breeding farms, 9 May 2012

 

Climate change expected to reduce Asia’s food production by as much as 50%

Indonesian village devastated by flooding; climate change will bring about more severe floods and droughts (photo on Flickr by International Rivers).

‘As Asia’s monsoon season begins, leading climate specialists and agricultural scientists warn that rapid climate change and its potential to intensify droughts and floods could end Southeast Asia’s global dominance in rice production and pose a significant threat to millions of people across the region.

“Climate change endangers crop and livestock yields and the health of fisheries and forests at the same time that surging populations worldwide are placing new demands on food production,” said Bruce Campbell of the CGIAR Research Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). “These clashing trends challenge us to transform our agriculture systems so they can sustainably deliver the food required to meet our nutritional needs and support economic development, despite rapidly shifting growing conditions.”

‘Southeast Asia has experienced dramatic meteorological swings, as last year’s record flooding was preceded by a record drought in 2010. These and many other extreme weather events around the world have hammered global food prices, stretching their impact beyond immediate personal and ecological tragedies.

‘In Thailand, a drought during the 2010 growing season caused US$450 million in crop damages. Massive flooding in 2011 caused $40 billion in damages that rippled through all sectors of Thailand’s economy.

‘”In the fields, there is no debate whether climate change is happening or not,” said Raj Paroda of the Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI). “Now, we must think about what the research community can provide governments to guide effective action. Given the region’s current state of food insecurity, climate-smart agriculture has to become the central part of Asia’s adaptation strategy.”

‘South and Southeast Asia are home to more than one-third of the world’s population and half of the world’s poor and malnourished. Absent new approaches to food production, climate change in this region is expected to reduce agriculture productivity by as much as 50 per cent in the next three decades. And with agriculture serving as the backbone of most economies in the region, such plunging yields would shake countries to the core. . . .

‘Most Asian countries became food self-sufficient in the 1970s and 1980s as a result of investments made during the “Green Revolution” that ushered in new crop varieties, wider irrigation and better water management. Today, the mega-deltas of Asia’s major rivers are the rice bowls for the world and are crucial to meeting global grain demand.

‘But now, the growing variability between seasons has increased pressures on water supplies, while at the same time rising sea levels are tainting freshwater supplies with high levels of salinity. This troublesome combination is putting Asia’s global supremacy in rice production at risk. In Southeast Asia, for example, some of the major river basins—including the Chao Phraya in Thailand and the Red in Vietnam—are considered “closed” because all of the water flow has been claimed.

‘In South Asia, the Ganges and Indus river basins underpin the food security of well over a billion people. Yet danger signs are looming: 88 per cent of Indians live in river basins with some form of water scarcity or food deficit. In Southeast Asia, despite the wider use of irrigation, approximately 75 per cent of crops are still rain-fed and remain especially vulnerable to the vagaries of the climate. . . .

Crop production is not the only aspect of agriculture that needs to adapt. Livestock production systems, especially in developing countries, are changing rapidly in response to population growth, urbanisation and the growing demand for meat and milk. But current livestock production methods, for example, average about 900 litres of water just to create one litre of milk, according to Purvi Mehta-Bhatt, head of the International Livestock Research Institute’s (ILRI’s) Asia region.

“It is important to consider livestock’s impact on climate change,” Mehta-Bhatt said, “But you also need to consider climate change’s impact on livestock, such as heat stress and the migration of disease.”

‘. . . The authors are members of Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), a strategic partnership of the CGIAR and the Earth System Science Partnership (ESSP).’

Read the whole article at The Nation (Thailand): Rapid climate change now threatens Asia’s rice bowl, 21 Apr 2012.

 

World Bank injects USD352 million into Indian dairy farming

Measuring milk for sale in India (photo credit: ILRI).

‘The World Bank signs an agreement with India to inject $352 million into the National Dairy Support Project, an initiative designed to revive the flagging fortunes of milk production in the country.

Other than being crucial to the nutritional security of the country’s population; dairy farming or dairying is also a major source of livelihood for 147 million rural households in India.

‘Spurred by the success of the White Revolution of the 1970s, milk and other dairy-products related production grew drastically over decades in the country. But of late, there has been a marked drop, with annual production decreasing to 3.8 per cent in the 2000s from 4.3 per cent in the 1990s. The Government’s latest initiative with the World Bank is meant to remedy this drop in production in anticipation of expected increase in demand.

‘India currently produces 120 million tons of milk per annum. By 2021-22, the demand is expected to be for 180 million tons, according to government estimates. This implies that for the next ten years from now, production would have to grow at 5.5 per cent year on year. To achieve this India would have to primarily find ways of boosting the productivity of its milk animals from a daily average of 3.4 kgs to 6.3 kgs, which is the global standard. . . .

‘The project will primarily focus on increasing milk production by improving the genetic quality of dairy herd and optimal use of feed and fodder. It will support long-term investments in animal breeding, extensive training of dairy farmers and doorstep delivery of artificial insemination. It will also aim at creating ration balancing advisory services, which will promote balanced animal feed and nutrition to not only increase milk yield and reduce productions costs, but also contribute to reduced methane emissions. . . .

The project will also raise farmers’ awareness about the importance of good quality milk and build their capacity for hygienic milk production, collection and sale,” said Deepak Ahluwalia, the Project’s Task Team Leader and Senior Economist, World Bank.

Read the whole article in OneWorld South Asia: A second White Revolution for India?, 16 Apr 2012.

Information on ILRI’s work in India

 

Dual-purpose groundnut, pigeonpea, millet and sorghum raise milk yields in dairy-intensive India

Groundnuts (photo on Flickr by Stephen Eustace).

Jerome Bossuet, of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), based in Pantancheru, India, has an interesting article in the New Agriculturist last month about fodder innovations helping Indian dairy farmers.

Feed matters are big matters in this intensive dairy-producing country, because ‘Feed represents around 70 per cent of the cost of milk production . . . .’ But with most farm plots now too small to sustain both fodder and food crops and with areas of common grazing lands shrinking, milk prices have been rising.

Research groups are coming to the rescue by developing ‘dual-purpose’ varieties of sorghum, millet, pigeonpea and groundnut whose straw, leaves and stalks that remain after the grain or legume has been harvested are of higher-than-normal quality for feeding to farm animals and whose yields of grain for human consumption are also good.

‘Crop residues . . . are already an important source of fodder in India, providing more than 40 per cent of the available dry matter for feeding livestock; some experts estimate this could rise to 70 per cent by 2020. But residues, especially from cereals, are often of low nutritional quality, which affects the productivity of cattle and buffalo.’

The new dual-purpose crops manage to produce both high grain yields for people and nutritionally rich residues for their animal stock.

‘Anantapur district, in Andhra Pradesh, is a key groundnut producing region and also one of the most drought-prone areas in India. Seventy per cent of the agricultural land is planted with groundnut, supporting over 300,000 smallholders, therefore crop residues are mainly composed of groundnut stems, known as haulm. “Groundnut haulm’s energy and protein content, and its palatability and digestibility can vary significantly from one variety to another,” says Dr Michael Blummel, a scientist from the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI).

‘In 2002, ICRISAT introduced an early maturing, high yield and drought-tolerant groundnut variety (ICGV91114), which produced 15 per cent higher pod yields, 17 per cent more haulm and better quality fodder than the locally grown variety. After giving their cows and buffalo the improved fodder, dairy farmers noticed an immediate impact as their milk production increased by 11 per cent.

‘A recent participatory feeding trial found that 400 ml of extra milk was produced daily by animals that had been fed the improved variety. A separate impact study by ILRI also estimated that during the main growing season, adopters would earn about 48,000 rupees per hectare (US$970 from sales of groundnuts and milk)—four times more than from growing the local variety. . . .

‘Dual-purpose crops have also created new value chains for the animal feed sector. In Hyderabad, for example, sorghum stover-based feed blocks are being marketed by animal feed companies. One block feeds one dairy animal per day, ensuring a production level of eight to 12 litres of milk per day compared to an average of three to four. Traders are therefore beginning to pay sorghum farmers a premium for their crop residues.

‘Following on from ILRI and ICRISAT’s innovative crop breeding research, the IFAD-supported MilkIT project, led by ILRI, aims to improve access to animal feed for poor dairy farmers in India and Tanzania by using dual-purpose crops. The ILRI and ICRISAT researchers, and members of the CGIAR’s Systemwide Livestock Program, are also transferring the dual-purpose crop breeding approach to African countries, through improved sorghum varieties. They are also studying the trade-offs when crop residues are used to feed animals, including the consequences for soil fertility. . . .’

Read the whole article at the New Agriculturist: Fodder innovations to help Indian dairy farmers, Mar 2012.

For more information, visit the websites of ILRI and ICRISAT.

 

Scaling sustainable and equitable agri-food and livestock value chains

In April 2012, the ‘Seas of Change’ international learning workshop will be held in the Netherlands.To help guide the workshop, the organizers of the initiative have collated a number of case studies pointing to successes in scaling inclusive agri-food market development.

Several livestock and dairy examples are included in the case studies:

• Bangladesh, dairy and livestock
• Bangladesh, milk marketing
• India, dairy
• Kenya, livestock

“The Seas of Change Initiative is a learning and research initiative that has arisen from discussions between a group of business players, development agencies and researchers. The focus of the initiative is on how businesses with the right support from government, donors, NGOs and research can scale up inclusive agri-food market development to ensure food security for 9 billion people and help to tackle poverty.”

The initiative web site also has an Interview with Sonja Vermeulen from the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS).

 

Models predicting agricultural impacts of climate change: How good are they for Africa and South Asia?

Ox Cart Crossing a Flooded Plain, painting by Ivan Alvazovsky, 1897 (source: Wikipaintings).

On 21 Feb 2012, from 14:30–15:30 (Central European Time), a video seminar will explore how current climate models for agricultural impacts perform in Africa and South Asia. The research in this study was coordinated by Phil Thornton, an agricultural systems analyst with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and a theme leader in the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security.

Tara Garnett, a collaborator in ILRI research who leads the Food Climate Research Network (FCRN) in the UK, reports the following in her 9 Feb 2012 newsletter.

‘Soon-to-be-released studies, coordinated by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), assess the performance of climate models in representing the current and future climate of East Africa, West Africa and South Asia, with a particular emphasis on the models’ ability to assess impacts of climate change on the major crops currently grown in each region.

‘Profesor Richard Washington (University of Oxford) and Professor Mark New (University of Cape Town) will discuss recent trends, current projections, crop-climate suitability, and prospects for improved climate model information over the next 10 years, and answer questions from viewers.’

For more information, visit CCAFS videostream webpage to view the live webcast and to sign up for upcoming science seminars.

 

Floods starve and sicken cattle and other livestock in Pakistan

To escape the flooding in Pakistan, spiders create megawebs in trees (photo on Flickr from M1K3Y; more images on the Nej Lon Blog).

More than 150,000 cattle have died in Pakistan as a result of the recent flooding, which, just 12 months after the last massive flooding in the country, has washed away fodder resources and helped spread water-borne and other infectious diseases among the animals that survived the floods in the area of Sindh.

‘. . . [H]undreds of cattle from Badin, Mirpurkhas and Sanghar had moved to Tharparkar after rains began, but there was no proper mechanism for their vaccination. . . .

‘Loss of livestock and poultry in rain-affected areas is likely to result in malnutrition of millions of people in these areas. . . .

‘The last Economic Survey of Pakistan said livestock was the best way for poverty alleviation. It accounted for 55.1 percent of the agriculture value added and 11.5 percent of GDP in 2010–11. . . .

‘The emphasis will be on improving per unit animal productivity and moving from subsistence to commercial farming to meet the domestic demand and export the surplus.

‘The objective is to exploit the potential of livestock sector and use it as engine for economic growth and ensure food security.

‘Around 40 million people in rural areas are dependent on livestock. Poultry sector generates employment for about 1.5 million people. Its contribution in agriculture value addition is 4.8 percent. Poultry contributes 24.8 percent to the total meat production in the country. . . .Poultry sector has shown a robust growth of 8-10 percent annually in recent years.’

Read the whole article at The International News: Rains kill 150,000 cattle heads, 27 Sep 2011.

 

Strengthening laboratory capacity in response to emerging pandemic threats: FAO, OIE and WHO working together

Early detection of zoonotic pathogens emerging in wild and domestic animal populations before they become a threat to human health is a priority for the public health and animal health sectors. An effective and credible laboratory service is an essential component of such early detection systems.

As part of the USAID Emerging Pandemic Threats (EPT) Program, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are collaborating on a project known as ‘IDENTIFY’ that strengthens national laboratory capacity for rapid and accurate detection of targeted diseases in the Congo Basin in central Africa and in countries in South and South-East Asia.

Download a leaflet on laboratory capacity building (PDF)

More on the IDENTIFY project

 

Livestock reduce poverty in Asia – Stories from IFAD

TagCloud from the International Fund for Agricultural Research (image credit: IFAD).

An Asia and Pacific newsletter published by the International Fund for Agricultural Research (IFAD), a specialized agency of the United Nations that works to eradicate poverty and hunger in developing countries, has published a new edition, on the topic of livestock. IFAD projects supporting poultry mini-hatcheries in Bangladesh, biogas in China, native poultry breeds in India, microfinance in Mongolia, dairy cows in Pakistan, mohair production in Tajikistan, and cattle value chains in Viet Nam are described.

Livestock contribute 40 per cent of the global value of agricultural output, and support the livelihoods and food security of almost a billion people according to the 2009 report of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)—The State of Food and Agriculture: Livestock in the Balance. It is one of the fastest growing sectors of the agricultural economy. The growth and transformation of the sector offer opportunities for agricultural development, poverty reduction and improved food security.

‘According to the IFAD Rural Poverty Report 2011, livestock are a valuable risk-mitigating and risk-management asset for poor families. They often serve as collateral for credit, a buffer against shocks and a safety net in times of crisis. Livestock can be sold when families need to cope with increased prices of food and other expenditures, and reduced incomes. Animal products, such as eggs and milk, can be produced, processed and sold throughout the year without seasonal restrictions.

‘In addition to being an important source of food energy and dietary protein, vitamins and micronutrients, livestock also play an important role in the environment. They consume waste products from crop and food production, help control insects and weeds, produce manure for fertilizing and conditioning fields, and provide draught power for ploughing and transport. Well managed livestock result in lower greenhouse gas emissions and impact on natural vegetative cover of grasslands, pastures and meadows. However, livestock are vulnerable to risks and shocks related to climate, environmental degradation, water scarcity and diseases.

‘Rural women play an important part in livestock management. However, both women and men face different livelihood opportunities and constraints in managing livestock. These constraints include: poor access to markets, goods, services and technical information; drought and disease; competing resource uses; policies that favour larger-scale producers or external markets; and weak institutions.

‘According to the IFAD Rural Poverty Report 2011, livestock production in developing countries has increased rapidly over the past 30 years. There has been substantial growth in the production of meat, eggs and milk. This has resulted from increased numbers of animals and increased yields, in Asia between 3 and 4 per cent per year. Today, production growth has been made possible by cheap inputs (including grains for feeds), technological change and gains in scale efficiency. This has resulted in lower prices for livestock products and stimulated rapidly growing demand among urban consumers.

To meet the growing demand for livestock products, the livestock sector requires appropriate institutions, research and technological innovations, development interventions and governance that reflect the diversity within the sector and the multiple demands placed upon it.

‘This newsletter provides a few interesting examples of how livestock is being managed in IFAD-supported projects and programmes in the Asia and the Pacific Region. . . .’

Read the whole article at Making a Difference in Asia and the Pacific, newsletter of the International Fund for Agricultural Research (IFAD), issue 38, Jul-Aug 2011.

 

ILRI finalizing action plan to curb classical swine fever in India’s northeast

A pig on a farm in Nikhekhu Village, Dimapur, Nagaland, India (photo credit: ILRI/Mann).

‘The Nairobi-headquartered International Livestock Research Institute is undertaking a comprehensive study on the mortality of pigs in [India's] Northeast because of classical swine fever and will suggest effective mechanisms for its prevention and control.

‘The study will focus on Assam, Nagaland and Mizoram, which are known for their swine population in the region.

The mortality rate in pigs because of classical swine fever varies from 60–80 per cent. About 80 per cent of the population in the Northeast are indigenous people and pig-keeping is an integral part of their life.

‘Swine fever, also known as hog cholera, is a highly contagious viral disease and is said to be the most serious threat to the pig population in the Northeast. When the disease strikes, it destabilises the local rural economy.

‘The total pig population in Northeast is 3.8 million. “Death of pigs is not always recorded in the veterinary hospitals mainly because of lack of facilities.If we can control swine fever, we can solve most of the problems affecting the swine population,” said Rameshwar Deka, scientific officer at the Northeast office of the institute in Guwahati.

‘The results will be declared next month.

‘The study will look into the incidence and impact of classical swine fever on pig production and livelihood. It will also review the current status of the manufacture, availability and efficacy of swine fever vaccine and its import policy.

The study will assess both the incidence of the disease and its impact on the livelihood of poor pig keepers.

‘Discussions are being held with officials on the policy issues. . . . The study will finalise a collective action plan to address the technical, institutional and policy issues that constrain effective control of the disease in the Northeast . . . .

Though swine fever vaccine is produced in the country, it is not available in sufficient quantities and is not easy to import it either. There are also reports of vaccination failure but the reasons are not clear. Vaccine delivery mechanism is also reported to be very weak. All these issues will be looked into,” Deka said.’

Read the whole article at The Telegraph (Calcutta): Study to curb swine fever, 5 Aug 2011.