Livestock Census is a regular quinquennial exercise of Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD). The first Livestock Census was conducted in the year 1919 and last census i.e. 20th Livestock Census was conducted in 2019. The 21st Livestock Census exercise has been launched across the country on 25th October, …
ACROSS the sand dunes on the journey from Jaisalmer in western Rajasthan to Bikaner, is the dramatic sight of vast stretches of rolling grasslands, extending far into the horizon for kilometres on end. The dominant perennial grass is the indigenous sewan (Lasiurus sindicus), popularly known as the "king of desert …
In 1986, for the 8th consecutive, year, the district of Jaisall faced another year of severe famine and drought. T year's drought was unprecedented, affecting 26 out of 27 disti of Rajasthan. In what is now regarded as one of the most remarka drought relief operations in Rajasthan the then …
The Asia-Pacific region is losing its rich livestock resources, thanks to the indiscriminate use of Western technology and rapid population growth, says the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). FAo has launched a new project, named Conservation and Use of Animal Genetic Resources i4 Asia and the Pacific. Thirty-six per cent …
Animals in industrilized countries both farmers and animals are becoming specialized. Thus dairy farmers keep high milk producing cows. Beef farmers keep specialized beef animals - sheep are specialized in producing meat or wool. Likewise the crops are specialized and crop residues generally discarded or ploughed in. This total market …
Some parasites that thrive in animals find their human hosts rather hostile. For instance, a protozoan called Trypanosoma brucei brucei (T b brucei), which infects both humans and cattle, quickly degenerates in the former's blood. But in cattle, the bug causes a disease resembling African sleeping sick- ness in humans. …
US-based Megainin Pharmaceuticals Inc researchers have found a natural antibiotic in the tongue of the cow which may explain how injuries caused to the animal's tongue remain infection-free and heal rapidly. The researchers isolated a compound -- lingual antimicrobial peptide (LAP) -- capable of killing bacteria and viruses. They say …
In India, out of a land area of 330 million ha, only cultivated. The remaining areas of forests, woodlands, grasslands, marshes, rivers, lakes and shorelines are common property resources (CPRs). (All data is based on the most comprehensive analysis of CPRs available). These commons provide rural people food, medicine, fuel …
Indian Council of Agricultural Research Krishi Bhawan New Delhi 110 001 Bharatiya Cattle Resource Development Foundation F-58, Kalkaji New Delhi 110 019 National Dairy Research Institute Karnal 132 001 Haryana Central Institute for Research on Buffalos Sirsa Road Hisar 125 001 Haryana Central Institute for Research on Goats Makhdoom, Farah …
RAM Chandra Tokas, a 48-year-old rich Haryana farmer of village Chochran, bought 4 ungainly buffalos 7 years ago to start a dairy business. Today, he makes a fat profit: a single buffalo fetches him about Rs 7,000 annually. Tokas owns 9 animals and does brisk business every year in Haryana's …
ON A cool, February morning, the mist hangs low over the harvested rice fields of Chinglepet district in Tamil Nadu. A peculiar, gurgling sound emanates from the haze, arousing your curiosity. The noise gradually gets louder - and suddenly, around a thousand quacking ducks emerge from the mist with their …
THIS story is one of horrifying domestic slaughter. The preamble to it is that the World Conservation Strategy (International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources 1980), recognises livestock breeds as genetic resources, with rare breeds considered worthy of conservation: the genes they carry may be commercially applicable …
I AM not a botanist and being a Bengali with a particular inclination for non-vegetarian food, I almost shared the sentiment, "Grasses are meant for cows." But reading Grass Evolution and Domestication has been an interesting experience. Reading this book, one is made to realise that the "grass family" is …
THE distasteful task of grading beef by inspecting carcasses can now be bypassed. Two researchers at Iowa State University in the US have come up with a far more accurate technique to rate meat. They use ultrasound readings of fat deposits on live animals to offer gourmets "select", "choice", or …
The good old barter system is back. To meet the demand for duck meat, India will soon import Vietnamese ducks in exchange for Indian buffaloes. According to the animal husbandry department secretary, J P Singh, it was found that Indian buffaloes were in demand in Vietnam while duck meat is …
HUSKIES will soon stop hauling sledges in the freezing reaches of Antarctica. In accordance with the Antarctic Treaty Environmental Protocol, sled dogs will be banned from the South Pole from April 1, 1994. They are being retired because they are spreading canine infection to seals, say environmentalists. The animals were …
EVIDENCE of protein shortage is accumulating all over the world, according to Vital Signs 1993, a World Watch Institute publication. The disturbing evidence comes from the production trends of the three biggest sources of high-quality protein: fish, soya bean and meat. Oceanic fish catch has remained lower than the record …
In fifty developing countries, which contain half of the total human population of the world, there is a heavy dependence on draught animals as an energy source. These animals are used for agriculture operations in 52% of cultivated areas of the world, as well as for hauling 25 million carts. …
PASTORALISTS are a vanishing breed the world over. These herders of sheep and cattle have a key role to play in the rehabilitation and sustainable management of fragile ecosystems. India has 34 million pastoralists managing a livestock population of more than 50 million. Apart from producing milk, meat, leather and …
IN MANY agricultural ecosystems, manure is used to provide the nutrients and organic matter needed for soil fertility on cropland. Even where chemical fertilisers are available, organic matter such as that provided by manure is the key to sustainable cropping. Farmers and pastoralists often develop relationships centred around each other's …
• Since the beginning of this century, about 75 per cent of the genetic diversity among agricultural crops has been lost. • In India, agronomists predict just ten rice varieties will soon cover three-quarters of the total rice-cultivating area in place of more than 30,000 varieties. • Rice, wheat and …
