Mixed Farming for Sustainable Livelihood of Small Farmers

8/12/2019 Mixed Farming for Sustainable Livelihood of Small Farmers

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MIXED FARMING FOR SUSTAINABLE

LIVELIHOOD OF SMALL FARMERS IN INDIA

Dr. Narayan G. Hegde

BAIF Development Research Foundation, Pune

With about 35 to 40% of the population living in poverty, livelihood security for the rural

poor continues to be a cause of concern in India. Indian economy is heavily dependent on

agriculture even today because about 65% of the population is living in rural areas and over

0% of them are dependent on agriculture and allied activities for their livelihood. !ut of the

total "#$.## million land holders in the country, 64.% are marginal holders ho on less

than " ha and ".5% families are small farmers oning beteen " and # ha. &ore than 50%

of these families are located in arid and semi'arid regions, here the rainfall is scanty and

erratic. (hese farmers have been groing drought tolerant food crops, mostly millets and

pulses ith very lo investment in improved seeds, fertilisers and plant protection measures,

resulting in poor yields and lo returns. )ragmented land holdings, heavy depletion of soil

productivity, inefficient use of ater resources, out'dated agricultural production

technologies, unavailability of agricultural credit and lac* of infrastructure for post harvest

management and mar*eting of agricultural produce, are the other factors hich further

suppress their agricultural production. +nfortunately, these regions have also been neglected

by the scientific and business communities in introducing ne technologies, high yielding

varieties hich are resistant to drought and developing necessary infrastructure as ell as

support services to boost agricultural production and value addition. ue to lo agricultural

productivity, these small and marginal farmers as ell as about "5 to "% landless families

living in rural areas, are unable to generate remunerative employment and about 40% families

are forced to live in poverty.

)or these small holders and landless, livestoc* has been a source of supplementary income.

-oever, over 5% of the animals are uneconomical due to severe genetic erosion,

inade/uate feeding and poor veterinary care. With loer crop and livestoc* productivity, the

employment opportunities in the farming and other related sectors are reduced further,

leading to reduction in farm ages, seasonal employment, malnutrition and migration.

#0"3. Invited 1aper. International 2onference on Increasing gricultural 1roductivity and ustainability inIndia (he )uture We Want7organised by 8ational Institute of dvanced tudies 98I:, in collaboration ith

&.. aminathan )oundation, 2hennai, Indian Institute of cience 2ampus, ;angalore.


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With lac* of food security, poor families are compelled to migrate to cities in distress,

*eeping their agricultural lands fallo. uch barren lands accelerate soil erosion, run off of

rain ater, resulting in floods, siltation of ater bodies and loss of biodiversity and thereby

contributing to global arming. In the absence of efficient soil and ater conservation, there

ill be a severe reduction in the ground ater table, accelerating the process of denudation of

the eco'system and shortage of drin*ing ater. istress migration ill also deprive the

omen and children of their basic needs such as shelter, safe drin*ing ater and health care,

hich ill affect their /uality of life. (he children ill discontinue their education and end

up as child labour and illiterate unemployed youth of the future. (hus, improving the

agricultural productivity of small land holders can play a *ey role in ensuring food security

and improving the /uality of life in the country.

Indian Green Revol!ion "or Food Se#ri!y

=ealising the urgency of enhancing food production, the >overnment of India had launched

the >reen =evolution programme in the si?ties, through introduction of high yielding

varieties and coordination among organisations engaged in agricultural development.

lthough >reen =evolution as successful only in 1un@ab, -aryana and parts of +ttar

1radesh and =a@asthan, this small region could ensure food security for the entire nation.

(heir ma@or focus as on development of infrastructure for bac*ard and forard lin*ages

for cultivating high yielding varieties of paddy, heat, maiAe crops and oil seed crops to

some e?tent. s a result of >reen =evolution, the food grain production increased from #

million tons in "$60 to "6.4 million tons in "$$0 and to #4".56 million tons in #0"0. (he

positive impacts of >reen =evolution continued till the "$$0Bs. ubse/uently, there as a

decline in the groth of agricultural production, from "0 ' "#% during the pea* of the >reen

=evolution to #.3% during the (enth 1lan 1eriod 9>ovt. of India, #0"":. 2ultivation of high

yielding varieties demanded higher doses of chemical fertilisers, pesticides, more diesel and

electrical poer to pump ater for irrigation. (he cost of these three inputs contributed to

"5% of the total cost of inputs in "$0, hich increased to 55% in "$$4 and to over 0% in

#005. Increasing use of these inputs as no more economical and in the absence of neer

technologies, the groth in agricultural production reduced drastically to less than #%, hich

had an adverse effect on the purchasing poer of the poor, due to reduction in employment

opportunities and drop in age rates. &ost of the other regions hich have not benefitted

from >reen =evolution, continue to suffer from lo crop yields, resulting in unemployment,

insecure livelihood and poverty, even today.

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S!ra!egy "or Develo$%en! o" Rain "ed Area&

While the regions e?periencing stagnation in agricultural production after 3 ' 4 decades of

>reen =evolution, re/uire a special pac*age, hich includes scientific crop rotation, efficient

ater use and increased use of organic nutrients, the problem of lo productivity in other

areas hich are dependent on rainfall for agricultural production, needs to be addressed ith

an innovative approach to enable the marginal and small farmers to sustain their livelihood.

ome of the important recommendations for rain'fed areas are effective soil and ater

conservation through atershed development, increased use of organic nutrients, introduction

of drought tolerant and short duration crops, efficient use of available ater resources

through micro'irrigation and mulching, timely tillage operations to conserve moisture and

control eeds, development of astelands through tree'based farming and introduction ofappropriate farm tools to improve the efficiency of labour. Inspite of the above measures, it

ill be e?tremely difficult for the marginal farmers to depend only on crop production for

their livelihood and hence, livestoc* can ma*e significant contribution to bring them out of

poverty.

mall and marginal farmers as ell as the landless have been traditionally maintaining

different species of livestoc* as a reliable source of income and cash reserve in times of

emergency. -oever, in the absence of superior /uality germplasm and lac* of technical

support to improve the productivity of livestoc*, most of them have been generating meagre

income from livestoc*. +nable to cope up ith their needs, these farmers try to increase their

herd siAe, hile causing pressure on fodder and feed resources and contributing to green

house gases.

(herefore, the challenge is to address the problems of marginal farmers by improving the

productivity of rain'fed agriculture and livestoc* oned by them, to enable them to enhancetheir income, hile conserving the denuding natural resources and the environment. uch a

model of promoting livestoc* development ith agriculture, *non as mi?ed farming, has

several advantages such as efficient use of byproducts li*e crop residues as animal feed and

dung as manure, fodder trees gron on field bunds as ind brea*s as ell as source of

fodder, bulloc*s for tillage operations and efficient use of spare time to manage both the

activities, ithout any demand for labour from outside. (o ensure the success of mi?ed

farming, it is necessary to improve the productivity of the livestoc* and develop a sustainable

land use plan depending on the soil productivity and domestic needs. s animal husbandry

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demands a large /uantity of fodder, lo productive land can be profitably used for fodder

production ith very remote chances of failure. (he programme should also include the

development of efficient value chains, hich ill include small farmers as the *ey

sta*eholders.

Live&!o#' in Rral E#ono%y

nimal -usbandry is the main source of livelihood for small farmers ho are deprived of

fertile land and assured source of irrigation. s per the census of #00, out of 5# million

heads of livestoc* in India, there ere "$$ million cattle, "05 million buffaloes, "4" million

goats, # million sheep and "" million pigs. 2attle represented over 3% of the livestoc*

population. While farmers having access to fodder resources, prefer cattle and buffaloes, the

landless prefer to maintain sheep, goat and poultry. India ran*s first in cattle and buffalo

population, second in goat, third in sheep and seventh in poultry 9(able":. lthough the

population of livestoc* during the last "0 years has been stable in the range of 45 million,

the buffalo population has increased by .$"%, hile the cattle population has reduced by

6.$%. (here has been a significant increase in the population of goats during the last five

decades, hich is attributed to the decrease in the siAe of land holdings and persistent drought

caused by erratic monsoon, forcing many small farmers to shift from large animals to small

ruminants.

Ta(le )* Live&!o#' +o$la!ion in India

Sr. No. S$e#ie& Live&!o#' ,en&& Gro-! Ra!e /01

)223 4556 4556 over )223

". 2attle "$.$ "5.# '6.$

#. ;uffalo $.$ $.$ .$"

3. heep 5.5 6".5 6.$6

4. >oat "##. "#4.4 ".35. !ther nimals "6.34 "6.05 '".

To!al Live&!o#' 789.7 789.5 :5.58

ource Civestoc* 2ensus, epartment of nimal -usbandry D airying, &inistry of

griculture.

2attle and buffaloes are the ma@or species maintained by all sections of the community and

unli*e other natural resources, they are ell distributed among small and large land holders.

(hey are ideal for mi?ed farming because of their valuable contribution to human nutrition

9mil* and butter fat:, plant nutrition 9farmyard manure: and energy 9bulloc* poer:. (he

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Ta(le 4* I%$or!an! Indian Breed& o" ,a!!le

Breed& Na%e&

Mil# Breed&*verage mil* production

above "500 *gElactation

>ir, ahial, =ed indhi, (harpar*ar

Dal:$r$o&e Breed& *

i. verage productivity breeds verage

mil* production beteen "000'"500

*gElactation

ii. Co productivity breeds verage mil*

production less than "000 *gElactation

-aryana, Gan*re@, =athi, &inari,

!ngole and angi

&eati and eoni

Drag!:+r$o&e Breed& verage mil*

production less than 500 *gElactation

8agor, ;achaur, &alvi, -alli*ar,

mritmahal, Ghillar, ;argur, 1anar,

iri, >aolao, Grishna Halley, Gan*atha,

Gherigarh and Ghangayam

ource non. "$$.

+er"or%an#e o" Dairy ,a!!le

In spite of achieving the highest mil* production in the orld, the performance of our cattle

has been e?tremely poor. It can be observed from (able 3 that the average mil* yield of

cattle in India is far belo the yield in other countries. 8o doubt, the average mil* yield of

cattle has increased by "00% over #5 years, beteen "$65 and "$$3, but it is still less than

#5% of the yield in Furope.

Ta(le 6* ;ield o" Mil'ing ,o-& in di""eren! ,on!rie&

,on!ry Average ;ield /):>9 )226

sia 5"# ""#5

India 4# $


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above yield of indigenous cattle does not include the yield of draft breeds and nondescript

cos hich are hardly mil*ed due to lo yields. -oever, they compete for fodder and

feed, resulting in huge shortage of feed resources. (he future challenge is to cope up ith the

groing demand for mil* ithout increasing the livestoc* population, amidst the shortage of

fodder and feed resources.

Ta(le 7* E?$e#!ed Gro-! o" Live&!o#' +o$la!ion and Mil' ;ield

Year 455>:53 454):44

Ty$e o"

Ani%al&

+o$la!ion

/%ill.1

+rod#!ion

/%ill. !on&1

@e!

Average

/'g=day1

+o$la!ion

/%ill.1

+rod#!ion

/%ill. !on&1

@e!

Average

/'g=day1

Indigenous #."5 #0.#63 ".$ 3".#64 #6.#4 #.#

2rossbred #.50 ".6# 6.5 "#.34 44.03 .$

;uffalo 3#.64 53.$6 4.50 40.06" $.$ 5.$4

>oat '' 4.03 '' '' 6.5"# ''

,on&erva!ion o" Vani&ing Indian Breed&

mong 30 ma@or Indian breeds of cattle, as shon in (able #, there are only four milch

breeds, hich are under severe neglect. (here are a fe dual'purpose breeds and the rest are

draft breeds. With the modernisation in agriculture, bulloc* poer is losing its importance.

!n the other hand, small farmers cannot ma*e optimum use of bulloc*s and hence, prefer to

hire tractor services, henever necessary. (hus, ith the diminishing demand for bulloc*

poer, the farmers are not ade/uately motivated to conserve these draft breeds. In the

absence of a clear policy and programme for conservation, these breeds are sub@ect to heavy

genetic erosion.

=ealising the groing population of lo productive non'descript cattle population, the

>overnment of India promoted the Intensive 2attle evelopment 1rogramme ay bac* in the

60Bs to upgrade them through crossbreeding ith e?otic mil* breeds such as


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from the present /uantity of ""0 million tons to "5 million tons by #0##, dairy farmers are

assured of remunerative price for their produce.

+ro(le%& o" !e +oor Dairy Far%er&

)or involvement of poor dairy farmers in successful dairy husbandry programme, it is

necessary to address their problems, hich are presented belo

1oor /uality animals re/uiring genetic upgradation

1oor access to breeding and health care services

8utritional deficiency due to shortage of feed and fodder

Ignorance about Aoonotic diseases such as ;rucellosis, (;, etc.

Cac* of technical guidance to adopt good husbandry practices

Inefficient mil* collection and mar*eting

1oor lin*age ith research institutions

+navailability of credit facilities.

+re&en! S!a!& o" Ani%al H&(andry Servi#e&

elivery of animal husbandry and veterinary services free of cost to farmers, has been

accepted as the responsibility of the tate >overnments, since independence. (hese services

included breeding of cattle and buffaloes through I, preventive vaccinations, treatment of

sic* animals and e?tension services to promote ne technologies. -oever, in the absence

of greater mobility, most of the services ere confined to the periphery of the veterinary

clinics established at the bloc* level. With the shortage of /ualified veterinary graduates,

most of these technical services ere gradually assigned to semi's*illed livestoc*

supervisors. In the absence of efficient services, farmers in interior areas could not ta*e

advantage of the programmes, to improve the productivity of their livestoc*. Infrastructure

for mar*eting of mil* has been very ea*, due to poor performance of the cooperatives.

(hus, the progress of livestoc* development, particularly dairy husbandry, could benefit a

small population in selected regions, here mil* cooperatives ere efficient, hile a large

section of small farmers could not ta*e advantage. In case of dairy husbandry, lin*age of the

dairy farmers ith the processing unit is very critical.

vailability of fodder and feed can play a very important role as about 0% of the cost of

dairy husbandry is on feed. (here are several hurdles for the small farmers to procure good

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/uality feed at a competitive price. While there is a severe shortage of animal feeds, farmers

in fodder surplus areas are even burning crop residues or selling for alternate uses at

substantially loer prices. In the absence of organised supply, the local traders ta*e undue

advantage by supplying inferior /uality feed at high cost. In such a situation, dairy farming

can become uneconomical in spite of superior technical inputs. -ence, the above problems

need to be addressed, for transforming dairy husbandry into an important source of livelihood

for small farmers.

S!ra!egy "or Develo$%en! o" ,a!!le and B""aloe& "or Dairy H&(andry

2onsidering the re/uirements of small dairy farmers, the folloing activities need to be

initiated to boost livestoc* production.

). Gene!i# I%$rove%en!

).). +rod#!ion o" S$erior ali!y Bll&

)or genetic improvement, the first step is to produce superior /uality bull mothers

and bull calves.

)armers maintaining elite herds of cattle and buffalo can also be involved in bull

calf production through planned breeding and buy'bac* guarantee.

pplication of uper !vulation and Fmbryo (ransfer technology for production

of superior bull mothers and bull calves.

1rogeny testing of sires should be underta*en to select sires having ability to

transmit superior genetic traits.

).4. +rod#!ion o" S$erior ali!y Se%en

emen freeAing laboratories should be certified for /uality and disease free status

&inimum genetic and health standards should be prescribed for bulls to be used

for semen collection.

).6. ,on&erva!ion o" Gene!i# Re&or#e&

Important native breeds of cattle and buffaloes should be conserved through the folloing

activities

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tudy on economics and utility of different breeds

Incentive for maintaining elite animals of native breeds

Fstablishment of bull mother farms by procuring elite females from field

+se of se?ed embryos for multiplication of elite progeny

4. Breeding Servi#e& and Manage%en!

4.). Training and Regla!ion o" AI Te#ni#ian&*

*ill oriented training for paravets to improve breeding efficiency

=egular monitoring of the services of 1aravets and vets to maintain high

technical standards, ithout e?ploiting farmers

1eriodic training of 1aravets and farmers on good animal husbandry practices.

4.4. S$$or! Servi#e&

(imely supply of inputs such as li/uid nitrogen, froAen semen, vaccines, first

aid *it, feed concentrates, mineral mi?ture and forage seeds to the paravets for

onard supply to dairy farmers, through local airy )ederation or 8>!

engaged in livestoc* husbandry.

4.6. Heal! ,are

1rivatisation of health care services, through )armersB )ederations

upport for private veterinary practice in close association ith paravets

Fstablishment of isease Investigation laboratories by the airy )ederation or

private agencies for effective treatment of animals

trengthening of =esearch and evelopment facilities for disease diagnosis,

production of effective vaccines and control of critical diseases

=egulatory role of tate nimal -usbandry epartments in disease surveillance

and promotion of clean mil* production.

4.7. S!ra!egy "or Feed Manage%en!

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E""i#ien! Manage%en! o" ,ro$ Re&ide&* 1romote ne food crop varieties having

higher grain yield ith stal*s of superior fodder /uality. 1lant breeders and

agronomists should be sensitised to breed and promote dual'purpose varieties of

sorghum, maiAe, ba@ra, and a ide range of legumes.

I%$rove%en! o" N!ri!ional Vale&* 1resently, the ma@or /uantity of dry matter is

contributed by paddy stras, heat stra, maiAe stal*, sugarcane bagasse and trash,

hich are of poor nutritional value, due to high fibre content. With ne techni/ues,

the /uality of such fodder should be improved. (his ill also help in augmenting the

fodder shortage.

Develo$%en! o" ,o%%ni!y @a&!eland&* Ffforts should be made to develop

pasture lands involving local communities through soil and ater conservation,

introduction of improved legumes and grasses, forage tree species and prevention of

graAing.

In#rea&e in Forage ;ield&* 1resently, improved practices are not folloed for

cultivating forage crops. -ence, efforts are needed to breed superior fodder

varieties, produce and supply good /uality seeds, promote use of soil amendments,

biofertilisers and forage harvesting e/uipment.

,o%$le!e Feed Ra!ion&* (o overcome nutritional imbalance in the field and to

facilitate small farmers and landless to maintain their livestoc* under balanced

feeding, decentralised complete feed production units can be established.

Fodder Ban'&* Fstablishment of fodder ban*s in fodder scarcity regions through

airy )ederations and 1eopleBs !rganisations can help small farmers to feed their

livestoc* during scarcity. In paddy and heat groing areas here the stra is

asted, facilities for compacting stra can be installed and arrangements can be

made to collect and pac* them. )odder ban*s can play a critical role in timely

supply of feed to livestoc* oners during the years of drought. (he fodder ban*s

can also ta*e up the production of complete feed for local distribution.

In!rod#!ion o" (y:$a&& +ro!ein Feed* (echni/ues have been developed to avoid

astage of nutrients by feeding by'pass protein and fat. upport should be provided

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to establish by'pass proteinEfat production units particularly in mil* sheds here

high /uality milch animals are maintained.

Red#!ion o" Herd Sie* It is necessary to create aareness among farmers to

reduce herd siAe and ensure optimum feeding instead of maintaining a large number

of underfed animals.

S$$or! "or S%all Far%er&* )or calf rearing, feed subsidy, insurance coverage,

venture capital, etc. may be given to ensure their active role in dairy development

and in rearing of small ruminants.

4.9. Nodal Agen#ie& "or Ba#'-ard and For-ard Lin'age&

(he responsibility of providing bac*'up services to paravets and veterinarians

can be assigned to mil* processing units, dairy federations, voluntary

organisations or private entrepreneurs in the region.

(hese nodal agencies can also ta*e up the production of critical inputs such as

froAen semen, cattle feed, forage seeds, etc. re/uired by the farmers.

(here is a need to develop a value chain, by establishing coordination among all

the sta*eholders to enable them to play an efficient and transparent role for

improving the production and profit margins of the farmers.

4.>. Manage%en! o" ,lled Ani%al&

1resently, small farmers are not able to get rid of unproductive or sic* animals

suffering from contagious diseases. uch unanted animals not only put

pressure on feed resources, but also spread diseases. (herefore, suitablearrangements should be made for disposal of the culled animals by ay of

establishingpanjarpolesthrough voluntary organisations or any other means.

F?port of animals to neighbouring countries desiring to procure, can be

permitted and coordinated through the nodal agency E -.

6. +ro#e&&ing and Mar'e!ing o" +rod#e

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&ini dairies should be established in small tons here large dairies are not

viable. (his ill ensure transparency and efficiency.

&il* processing units should assume a prominent role in airy Halue 2hain

management by promoting breeding services, input supply and health care

provision, apart from collection of mil*. (he farmers should be trained in clean

mil* production.

Develo$%en! o" O!er S$e#ie& o" Live&!o#'

heep, goats, pigs and fishery also have the potential to provide gainful employment in

selected areas. )or instance, piggery is an e?cellent source of livelihood in the 8orth'Fastern

states. family ith 6' pigs can be assured of food security. )amilies maintaining ' "0

goats can come out of poverty, ithin a period of " ' #4 months. imilarly, a floc* of 40 '

60 birds of indigenous poultry breeds can contribute to the income substantially.

Innova!ive A$$roa# o" BAIF

;I) has been a leader in ta*ing up dairy husbandry as a poerful tool for generating gainful

employment in =ural India. ;I)Bs strategy has been to use the non'descript unproductive

local cos and buffaloes ith superior /uality e?otic germplasm to produce high yieldingcrossbred cos. ;I) adopted froAen semen technology to ensure the use of elite germplasm

at the doorsteps of farmers. Fngagement of school drop outs for providing breeding, each

covering "500 to #000 families and other essential services, not only provided employment to

the local youth but also helped them to closely interact ith illiterate dairy farmers and assist

them in adoption of good management practices. (his innovative model as recognised by

the >overnment of India in "$$, enabling ;I) to establish 2attle evelopment 2entres

across the country ith the support of I=1 Infrastructural )und of the >overnment of India

and to e?pand the programme through 4000 centres across "6 states covering over 40 la*h

families in 60,000 villages. (he programme covers breeding of cattle and buffaloes,

promotion of fodder cultivation, minor veterinary care such as deorming and vaccination

and mobilisation of farmers to develop their organisations to collect mil* and supply to the

local dairies.

(his programme turned out to be successful as farmers ith lo yielding nondescript

animals, ere able to produce high yielding cos and buffaloes ithout any capital

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investment. With the increasing demand for mil* and higher price realisation, farmers

maintaining 3 cos ere able to earn =s. 40,000 ' 45,000 per year and come out of

poverty. uch high yielding cos and buffaloes produced at the doorsteps of the farmers,

today, fetch over =s.40,000 to =s.60,000 and truly serve as security to tide over financial

crisis. (here is no other programme herein the poor have an opportunity to build such high

value assets ithout any ris* or capital investment. 1resently, the mil* produced by the

farmers participating in ;I) programme, contributes to over =s. 4000 crores to the national

>1 every year.

;I) has also initiated an eco'friendly >oat evelopment 1rogramme herein 6 ' goat

*eeping omen form a group to maintain a superior /uality breeding buc* to ensure genetic

improvement, hile a trained local paravet mentors 6 such groups and provides critical

services such as deorming, vaccination, castration, guidance on fodder production and

feeding, periodic monitoring of groth and lin*ages ith the mar*et. s a result of these

interventions, the goat *eepers are no able to enhance their income by #50 ' 300%, due to

prolific *idding, high eight of *ids at birth and at various stages of groth, lo mortality

and better price realisation. =igorous culling to restrict the herd siAe depending on fodder

availability and promotion of stall feeding to avoid biotic pressure on the eco'system, are

helpful to *eep this programme eco'friendly. (he impact of this programme on livelihood

and attitude of the goat *eepers can be observed in " #4 months. ;I) is presently

operating this programme in the states of =a@asthan, &aharashtra,


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E%i&&ion o" Me!ane

(he global methane production in "$ as in the range of 400 ' 600 million tons per annum

of hich livestoc* contributed about #%, amounting to 0 million tonsEannum. When the

feed reaches the rumen, it is converted into short chain fatty acids, microbial biomass and

fermentative gases, mainly carbon dio?ide and methane, through microbial degradation,

*non as enteric fermentation. (he proportion of these components produced in rumen

varies to a great e?tent, ith the type of feed and microbes 9;lummel, et al #00":. (he

variation in digested outputs occurs due to the type of feed, level of inta*e, retention time in

rumen and type of microbes present. !n an average, each adult co emits about "5 ' #0 *g

methane in a year. With about "00 million livestoc*, + emits 5.5 million tons of

methaneEyear. India has 45 million livestoc* and these are li*ely to release proportionately

higher /uantity of methane due to consumption of inferior /uality fibrous fodder.

S#o$e "or Red#ing Me!ane +rod#!ion

epending on different species of microbes, nutrients and other chemical substances present

in the feed, the degree of fermentation ill vary and the volume of gases released, ill also

change. (hus, there is scope for reducing the production of gases by proper manipulation of

these factors.

Balan#ed Feeding* Ffficiency of microbe has a significant impact on production of various

products, particularly gases. While the short chain fatty acids provide 0 ' 5% of energy

re/uirement, microbial biomass provide 0 ' "00% amino acid re/uirements of ruminants.

With proper feed selection, supplementation and balancing of various ingredients, it is

possible to ma?imise the conversion of feed into microbial biomass and short chain amino

acids, hile reducing green house gases. With high protein diet, formation of gases can bereduced significantly, hile high fibre content in diet can increase the production of gases.

(hese gases are released in the atmosphere through digestive and respiratory systems.

I%$roving Feed ali!y* ma@ority of the livestoc* in India is lo productive. (hey are

under'nourished and survive on open graAing or on poor /uality, high fibre roughages. (hese

animals release more methane than high yielding animals, ho consume better /uality feed.

(o reduce the ill'effects of poor /uality feed, brea*ing of lignin in roughages before feedingto livestoc* through various methods should be e?plored. team treatment of sugarcane

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bagasse and paddy stra and urea ' molasses treatment of paddy stra are some good

e?amples. 2onversion of high fibre grasses into silage may be easy and beneficial. Fven

simple chopping of fodder before feeding livestoc*, can reduce methane production by '

"0%.

Good Heal! ,ondi!ion&* nimals suffering from diseases also release higher volume of

methane compared to healthy animals. s most of the farmers are unaare of the threat

posed by their livestoc* to the environment, no efforts are being made either to reduce the

herd siAe or to control methane emission. (hese animals further demand fodder, feed and

ater, thereby creating pressure on the natural resources hich are already scarce 9-egde,

#0"0:.

E""i#ien#y o" Mi#ro(e&*It is presumed that there are a ide range of microbes involved in

degeneration of biomass. (he efficiency of different species and strains is li*ely to vary

idely. (hus, there is scope to identify various species and their strains of micro'organisms

present in rumen hich are efficient convertors of feed into amino acids and microbial

biomass. uch microbes found even outside the rumen, can be introduced into the rumen to

improve digestion in ruminants.

Me!ane a(&or(ing Mi#ro(e&* (here are also microbes hich have the capacity to absorb

methane and convert it into other products. uch selected micro'organisms capable of

feeding on methane, can also be incorporated in the rumen flora for reducing the emission of

methane hile improving the productivity and profitability of livestoc* husbandry.

Me!ane Tra$&* &ost of the lo productive livestoc* generally go out for graAing during

the day and return to the shed in the evening. (hey release significant volume of methane

and carbon dio?ide during the night hen housed in a cattle shed. (rapping these gases

inside the barn by fi?ing efficient filters, may be possible by using modern technologies.

Dng Manage%en!* nimal dung and urine also release methane and nitrous o?ide.

&ethane is generally released through anaerobic decomposition, hen dung is heaped as

manure for a longer period. In countries li*e India, farmers have been folloing the practice

of dumping dung in manure pits for 3 ' 6 months for better decomposition, thereby

contributing substantially to emission of methane. ;etter management of farmyard manureand compost pits can also reduce emission of methane in the atmosphere to a great e?tent.

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+se of dung for production of biogas is the best option to convert this threat into an

opportunity. (he old models of biogas plants ere inconvenient to manage in congested

residential areas. 8e compact models have no been developed hich are ready for ider

replication.

,on!rol o" Live&!o#' +o$la!ion* (he aim should be to reduce livestoc* by improving the

productivity of the animals, so that ith small number of livestoc*, farmers can earn higher

income. (his can happen by producing genetically superior /uality animals and maintaining

them ell ith balanced feeding.

Re"eren#e&

". non. "$$6. 8ational Civestoc* 1olicy 1erspectives =eport of teering >roup.

1lanning 2ommission, >overnment of India.

#. non. #005. nnual =eport #004'#005. epartment of nimal -usbandry and

airying, &inistry of griculture, >overnment of India. 8e elhi.

3. >overnment of India, #0"". )aster, ustainable and &ore Inclusive >roth n

pproach to the JII )ive Kear 1lan, 1lanning 2ommission, 8e elhi.

4. non. "$$. airy India Kearboo* HI. 8e elhi.

5. ;lummel, &., Grishna, 8. and !rs*ov, F.=. #00". upplementation strategies for

optimiAing ruminal carbon and nitrogen utlisation 2oncepts and approaches.

1roceedings of the "0thnimal 8utrition 2onference Garnal, India. =evie 1apers,

8ovember $'"" "0'#3.

6. -egde, 8.>. #0"0. &itigating >lobal Warming hile providing ustainable

Civelihood through Integrated )arming ystems F?periences of ;I). International

2onference on >lobal Warming griculture, ustainable evelopment and 1ublic

Ceadership. hmedabad, India. &ar ""'"3 "6 pp.

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Mixed Farming for Sustainable Livelihood of Small Farmers

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