Breed Improvement

Maintaining livestock, especially in the mid and higher Himalayas is increasingly becoming more and more challenging for the community. However, changing demographic patterns also open up new opportunities for the livestock sector in the region. Rural conglomerates has been able to generate demand both for milk and meat but this unmet demand is being currently fulfilled by the plains. Himmotthan through its livestock initiative is trying to meet this demand locally by addressing the low productivity associated with the livestock sector (Large and Small Ruminants, Poultry) in the mid and higher Himalayas broadly in the following sector-

Large Ruminants Breed Improvement

Small Ruminants (Goats) Breed Improvement

Promotion of backyard poultry

Large Ruminants Breed Improvement

As per the 2012 livestock census of India the 9 hill district of Uttarakhand had indigenous livestock (cattle and buffalo) of 339152. The preference for cattle and buffalo vary from region to region. The indigenous breed is often characterized by low milk yield. Himmotthan in partnership with ULDB and ILRI has been making continue efforts towards increasing the per animal milk output through breed improvement measures. 28500 No of AI have been conducted and as a result 12929 progeny of improved cow/buffalo has been obtained till Dec 2020. The preference for Red Sindhi and Jersy for Cattle and Mura for Buffalo is clearly visible amongst the community.

Small Ruminants (Goats) Breed Improvement

Goats found in Uttarakhand are of non-descript nature, over the years the goat population has not improved substantially. The goat population in the nine hill districts where Himmotthan is working has shown a growth of mere 4.4%between livestock census 2007 and 2012. It has been observed that goat rearing has not picked up as a major economic activity rather it is practiced mainly at a sustenance level by the marginalized families having little or no land holding. The non-descript nature of the bread along with the growing challenges of managing an economically viable goat herds has not proved beneficial in improving both the quality and quantity of goats in Uttarakhand. Himmotthan in partnership with ILRI is trying to address the issues related to goat rearing on different fronts. Himmotthan identified some of the key factors associated with the above-mentioned challenges. Bread improvement is being addressed through initiatives such as avoidance of in breeding and promotion of selective breeding. Promotion of semi stall feeding practices among the goat herder through construction of goat sheds, introduction of improved goat feed along with the provision of trained animal health care professionals (Para- vet) within the community are some of the initiatives aimed towards making goat rearing and economically viable option for the rural communities. The interventions of the past five years has resulted in the adoption of semi-stall feeding practices, a total of 491 goat sheds have been constructed in active participation with the goat rearers. 40500 goat kids showing strong and healthy genetic characteristics have been identified and placed for selective breeding. Through these efforts and the resulting progeny the participating community has been able to enhance their income through sale of goats.

Promotion of backyard poultry

Poultry has been an indigenous part of the mountain agriculture system. The rural communities have used backyard poultry not only to ensure sustenance but also to maintain the caloric and nutritional requirements of the households. Despite the large-scale commercialization of poultry in the plains with the adoption of highly specialized equipment’s and processes, the same effect has not reached the hills even at a micro level. Some of the key bottlenecks in this process include the erratic supply of day old chicks to the practitioners in the hills. Factoring these into consideration, Himmotthan Society has started taking up poultry development in the hills in a big way. The poultry development initiatives are two pronged. The first stream consists of promoting croiler, broilers based poultry owing to its relatively fast economic returns, and the other stream focuses on promotion of local indigenous birds. The weakest link in the development of ingenious bird is the low egg laying capacity of the birds, long gaps in egg laying by the local birds, and the low number of chicks hatched by the birds. This particular link is being addressed through introduction of hatchery units in the hills accompanied by the setting up brooder unit and expansion through backyards. Himmotthan has so far distributed 35891 chicks through 409 backyards. Apart from this micro hatchery and brooders are also be promoted across the hills in an effort to boost local bird based poultry.