Indigenous sheep better for productivity
2 March 2004
Research sponsored by the Netherlands has revealed that the crossing of indigenous breeds is the best way for herdsman to improve the production of sheep and goats in the tropics. Crossing with exotic breeds results in animals which are economically less favourable under tropical circumstances.The Kenyan researcher Isaac Sanga Kosgey discovered that substituting indigenous breeds and crossing indigenous breeds with non-local breeds are rarely successful in the tropics. The non-local breeds are not adapted to the tropics and the herders. The animals have a lower resistance and fall ill more easily, and therefore perform less well.
According to the researcher, breeding programmes that use indigenous breeds probably form a more sustainable solution. Furthermore, indigenous breeds contribute to the maintenance of the biodiversity. Isaac Kosgey has carefully considered how these breeding programmes can best be implemented in the local production systems.
In Kenya he investigated two production systems. So-called semi-pastoral units in which the herders wander about with the animals were found to use mainly local breeds. However, more mixed units were found to prefer crosses with exotic breeds.
The litter size and litter frequency were found to be particularly important in determining the economic value of the breeding objectives. Furthermore, in the semi-pastoral production system, the weight of the lambs at the age of 12 months also had a strong influence on the final economic value of the herd. For both systems the yield was found to suffer most in the case of a low management level, diseases and parasites in the animals, insufficient feed and poor marketing.
Isaac Kosgey formulated various objectives for the breeding of small ruminants in the tropics, such as sheep and goats. He also investigated appropriate breeding strategies for this area. Small ruminants are important for the livelihoods, but also the social and economic environment of a large number of people in the tropics. Kosgey concludes that it is important to take this broader role of the animals into account.
For further information please contact
- Isaac Sanga Kosgey (Egerton University, Kenya and Wageningen University and Research Centre)
- tel. +31 (0)317 482207
- e-mail: isaac_kosgey@yahoo.co.uk
- The doctoral thesis was defended on 1 March 2004
- Supervisor Prof. Johan van Arendonk
- tel. +31 (0)317 482335
- e-mail: johan.vanarendonk@wur.nl
- Assistant supervisor Prof. J.P. Gibson (International Livestock Research Institute, Kenya)
