BAHIR DAR UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL PRODUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY
GRADUATE PROGRAM

(ANIMAL PRODUCTION)
COURSE: - ADVANCED RESEARCH METHODS AND BIOMETRICS

IN ANIMAL SCIENCES
 
ASSIGNMENT ON:- CONSERVATION AND IMPROVEMENT STRATEGY FOR FOGERA CATTLE

BY

1. Tiruneh Mossie….…. BDU 1301192

Presented To: Asaminew Tassew (PhD)

Jan 2021
Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
 Presentation Out Line
• First information

• Introduction

• Objective

• Result

• Conclusion

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 First Information

• Titles
1. Conservation and Improvement Strategy for Fogera Cattle.

2. Growth and Reproductive Performances of Fogera Cattle.

• Year of Publications:- 2017 and 2016 respectively.

• Carried out at Andasa Livestock Research Center.

• Three clustered districts around Lake Tana.

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 … inform cntd
• Authors

1. Assemu Tesfa, Dilip Kumar, Solomon Abegaz, and Getinet

Mekuriaw.

2. Assemu Tesfa, Dilip Kumar, Solomon Abegaz, Getinet Mekuriaw,

Tewodross Bimerew, Adebabay Kebede, Addisu Bitew,

Yeshewas Ferede, Hailu Mazengia and Mekonnen Tilahun

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 1. Introduction
• Whenever the development of animal production systems is

discussed, conservation of local breeds should be considered .

• In Ethiopia, four cattle ranches are operating ex situ conservation

measures of indigenous cattle breeds of the country.

 Goba (Arsi) breed; Abernossa (Ethiopian Boran),

Metekel and Andassa ranch conserve Fogera cattle breed.

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 …Intr cntnd

• But, the success of these conservation efforts had shortcomings.

 political instability, inconsistency of development policies,

 limited stakeholder participation,

 limitation of interventions underestimates the conservation efforts .

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 …Intr cntd
• Today, a large number of indigenous breeds or varieties in the

developing world are at risk of becoming extinct .

 Breeds like Sheko cattle are highly threatened as a result of

interbreeding.

 Fogera, Begayit, Ogaden, and Borena cattle breeds are also

facing various degrees of threat.

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 …Intro contd

• Fogera cattle had declined from time to time.

 Especially at an alarming rate from 1980’s to 2000’s (15,000).

• Main problems that lower productivity and population are;

 genetic admixture, shift of production system, shrinkage of

grazing land, and poor management practices.

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 1.1. Objective

• To identify the grassroots problems and to design appropriate

conservation strategies for Fogera cattle breed.

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 2. Results and Discussion

2.1. The Need for Conservation of Fogera Cattle Breed

• Conservation of Fogera cattle breed at Andassa and Metekel ranches

had been underway for the past 52 and 28 years, respectively.

 B/c of unique and preferred characters of the breed,

 its population and productivity are declined from year to year.

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 …result cntd
2.1.1. Interrelated Constraints Facing the Breed

• The major constraints for genetic conservation and improvement ;

• absence of workable agricultural sector policy,??

• lack of infrastructure,

• absence of well-defined breeding programs, ??

• poor selection strategy, and genetic gain.

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• Shortage of grazing land/feed which is due to shrinkage of the

grazing land for crop diversification and intensification

(Yitaferu).

• Diseases and parasite burden with absence of health clinic. 

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 …result cntd

2.1.2. Presence of Unique Traits of the Breed

• Fogera cattle over other breeds have;

 Better milk production, better selling price,

 Better traction power, Adaptability to the local environments,

 Ability to disease resistance,

 Drought resistance.

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2.1.3. Better Attitude of Farmers to Keep the Breed

• Most of the interviewed farmers volunteered to continue and

expand and keeping of Fogera cattle breed.

 Because of the above unique and important traits.

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2.1.4. Decreasing Population Trend of the Breed

• From the total respondents used for this study, 86% of them

reported that the populations of breed decrease from time to time.

 The population size of the breed had decreased at an alarming

rate from;
 800,000 in 1981 [12], to 86,800 [32], and then to 15,000 [13].?

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 …result cntd

2.2. Community-Based In Situ Conservation for the Cattle.

• The failure of conservation strategies in many countries is due to;

 without clear policies, regulatory frameworks,

 resulting in indiscriminate, uncoordinated or uncontrolled

crossbreeding activities and

 with limited involvement of farmers .

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 …result cntd

• So, to over come the Failure;

 From the beginning, documentation, major livelihood of the

community should be well analyzed.

 Finally, the impact of the strategy on the improvement of;

 Breeds and community livelihood had been analyzed,

 The extension and/or terminations will be followed

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 …result cntd

• In situ and ex situ conservations are seen as complementary

 That maximizes the retention and continued evolution of the

genetic qualities of farmers’ varieties.

• They also aim to avoid the loss of variation during;

 rejuvenation and maintenance in formal gene banks.

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 …rsult cntd
2.3. Closed Breeding Scheme: (For the Conservation Strategy)

• The breeding scheme designed and implemented for Fogera cattle

at Andassa Livestock Research Center was open breeding scheme

since 2007.

• Due to lack of identification of the pure line of the breed through

molecular evidences,

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 …resul cntd

• level of genetic admixture of the pure line with the highland zebu

breeds, and inbreeding between relatives at the village herd is very

high.

 Therefore, to cope with these problems and based on the current

situation of the breed, closed breeding scheme is designed.

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2.3.1. Nucleus Herd Maintenance

• The available herd at Andassa will be used as a nucleus herd;

 Superior pure bull source for the village herd at the community

level after performance evaluation.

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 …cncl cntd
• Heifers and bulls will be selected based on their pedigree,

milk production of their dams, birth and weaning weight,

Breed characteristics, and general body conformation

or morphology.

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 …resul cntd

• The heifers selected from the performance record will be used

 as a replacement herd of the nucleus herd,

• whereas the better performing young bulls will be used as;

 breeding bull for the nucleus herd and,

 for the village herders at the community-based conservation

site.

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 …resul cntd
2.3.2. Village Herds
• The village herds will be selected from the typical kebele

 where the pure breed is expected to be available .

• Willing farmers with Fogera cattle herd will be selected;

 breeding associations will be built for the use of the selected

breeding bull.

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 …resul cntd
• There will be legal participation rule;

 to subsidize their role in protecting environments

 landscapes by maintaining low-input breeds instead of

 switching to more profitable high-input ,

 and high-residue production systems.

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2.4. Stakeholders and their Role in the Conservation

• For better utilization and conservation of Breeds;

 well-coordinated institutional arrangement is a key issue.

 The arrangement should include dissemination of information,

 Networking at regional and international level.

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 …resul cntd
• The basic points in stakeholder analysis are;

 identifying the direct participants in contact with breed,

 defining their role ,

 accountability of them for their role in the conservation

program.

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2.5. Related Activities with the Community

• Conservation of Farm Animal Genetic Resources;

 refers to all human activities including;

 strategies, plans, polices, and actions

 undertaken to ensure that the diversity of the Genetic

Resources is maintained.

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 …resui cntd
• The conservation and improvement strategy beyond the ideal
breeding program;

 need other interventions, notably,

 access to improved and affordable health services, market

information and market services,

 Improved infrastructure, as well as supportive policies,

 adequate and quality feed resources, and supply all year

round.

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 …resul cntd
2.5.1. Feed Development Interventions

• The major constraint to livestock production in developing

countries is;

 the scarcity and fluctuating quantity and quality of the year-

round feed supply.

 Livestock feed is the major constraint for the failure of

 conservation as well as productivity of a breed.

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 …resul cntd
• As the survey result indicates, feed shortage occurs during;

 April, May, and June of each year based on their severity,

 and majorly feed development intervention strategies

 need to be implemented in these months.

• Fogera district is a potential producer of rice straw

 which is low in its nutritive value and palatability.

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2.5.2. Community-Based Animal Health Workers

• are trained farmers on animal health with closed follow-up;

 by veterinarians to serve the community with low cost per

treatment.

 They have served to fill a large gap in extension services,

 and have enabled more people to access vital information,

 and services to protect the livestock which the formal veterinary

services often do not reach.
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 …resul cntd
2.5.3. Market Linkage

• The major livestock marketing constraints are categorized in;

 infrastructural, policy-related, and institutional constraints

 lack of access to formal financial systems;

 credit, non-transparent taxation systems, limited investment

in communication and infrastructure,

• poor market supply, poor forward and backward linkages.

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 …resul cntd
• Additionally, cooperatives will be developed

 for marketing their products and to purchase livestock;

 and other agricultural technology.

 
 

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 3. Conclusion
• Interrelated problems that web the production system of the
breed;
 Favored the decrement of the population,

 productivity of Fogera cattle breed.

 with availability of unique traits of the breed at the production

system seeks for conservation measure;

 community-based in situ conservation measure to ensure the

 participation of the owner of the breeds was designed.

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 … Cnclu cntd
• For the adoption of the new conservation measure,

 closed breeding scheme that integrated the two ex situ conservation

sites (Andasa and Metekel)

 and the village (community) conservation site was developed.

 To realize the conservation of Fogera cattle,

 stakeholders like regional Livestock Agency, universities

 international research institutes,

 zone and district agriculture offices were analyzed and tasks were
shared.

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 …conclu cntd
• Incentives and subsidies for the community participants

• Community participation,

• and continuous budgeting system for the research center

• and the ranch should better be designed and

• government support towards the strategy should be boldly

realized.

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 5. Recomendations
•  The designed strategy should be implemented.

• Problems like; feed shortage market linkage should be

alleviated.

• Stake holders; Universities, research centers, Agriculture

offices, Financial institutions, should perform their duties as
per their role.

• The community participation must be fruitful and functional.

• Support the nucleus hers ranches with Finance and human
resources. Especially, Chagni and Andasa.

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 4.Comments

4.1. Strong Sides

• Selection of the study area; Districts and Andasa livestock

research center.

• The issue by itself is best Agenda.

• The result and the conclusion are similar.

• The language usage is best.

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 …Coments cntd
4.2.Weak Sides
• No information where Andasa Livestock research center is
(Description of the study area)?

• Genetically from where Fogera breed comes from?

• Small number of respondents.

• Detailed roles and responsibilities of stakeholders are not

listed and given properly.

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 … coments cntd
• Agriculture policy is not the problem of low productivity of
the livestock sub sector;
 rather it is the implementation. Even, we have Breeding
policy.

• No detailed discussion of Fogera unique trait characters.

• The study was best; it was done at Chagni Ranch in addition to

Andasa rather than metekel.

• Quaternaries were best, if it includes expertise or professional

around stakeholders sector in addition to farmers.

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 Thank You!!!

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