Vol. 35 April-June 2013

BAIF DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH FOUNDATION

Edited, Printed and Published by BAIF DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH FOUNDATION

Dr. Manibhai Desai Nagar, Warje, Pune 411 058

E-mail: baif@baif.org.in Website: www.baif.org.in Designed and Printed by: Varad Printers, Pune

THE BAIF JOURNALA quarterly journal of the

Mr. Hrishikesh A. MafatlalChairman

Dr. M.S. SwaminathanVice Chairman

Mr. Hasmukh S. ShahChairman, Executive Committee of BAIF Trustees

Smt. Rajashree A. Birla

Mr. Kishor A. Chaukar

Mr. Sunil. S. Lalbhai

Mr. Deepak C. Mehta

Dr. Sudha N. Murty

Mr. Pratap G. Pawar

Mr. Sharad Upasani

Dr. Narayan G. Hegde

Mr. Ramesh Rawal

Mr. Girish G. SohaniPresident and Managing Trustee

Founder: Late Dr. Manibhai Desai

BAIF TRUSTEESI n t h i s I s s u e

April-June 2013 Vol. 35

Annual Subscription: Inland: Rs. 50/-

Overseas: US $10

MANAGING EDITORMs. Sucharita Dhar

EDITORIAL OFFICEBAIF Bhavan, Dr. Manibhai Desai Nagar

Warje, Pune 411 058

1 Efficient Programme Management

2 Value Chain Development of Dairy

Husbandry through Health Care

5 A Milestone of BAIF in Punjab

7 Feeding Calf Milk Replacer for Better Calf

Growth

10 Plant Genome Savior Community Award

12 Scientific Collaboration with ICAR and

Meeting with Directors of ICAR Institutes

14 Regional News

18 Goat Improvement: Need for a Shift from

Amariya to Elite Bucks managed by Goat

Keepers

20 Tribute to Dr. G.R. Hegde

Remembering Manibhai We pay tribute to our Founder,

Dr. Manibhai Desai on the occasion of

his 93rd birth anniversary

on April 27, 2013.

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

The heat of the summer and the travails of a harsh drought are upon us. While this is going to be a likely recurring situation year after year, one needs to brace oneself for future occurrences. The conservation and better management of water resources will need to be handled with priority. This is the challenge for BAIF's efforts to be able to juxtapose smart water efficient technologies into a deliverable programme package that will ensure satisfying the consumptive needs as well as a reasonable productivity of crops.

One of the most relevant occupations for the farmers in such drought conditions has been livestock husbandry. This provides both a more flexible (than crops) livelihood option and also provides higher resilience. With the right technical back-up, it can become a highly remunerative activity. BAIF experience of dairy husbandry promotion in the arid region of Kutch, as well as goat keeping through introduction of better breeds in Rajasthan are examples of an appropriate livestock development approach for arid and semi-arid areas. Proper care of calves and kids - including their adequate nutrition to give them a headstart in life - is equally important for the success of these programmes.

Where small quantities of water can be available for crop production, there is need to make best use through production of high-value, small-plot cultivation. Open field floriculture, such as with Jasmine, offers such a possibility. This programme initiated by

BAIF has already reached a few thousand farmers in the tribal areas of Thane district. However, for such interventions a proper linkage with markets has to be an essential part of the programme.

Along with such innovative programme directions at the field level, BAIF also has a very strong applied research programme in various sectoral areas. As a matter of fact, our programmes have evolved keeping in mind the principle that "Development without Research makes it outdated and Research without Development becomes an ivory tower activity divorced from ground reality". We have therefore endeavoured to keep a vibrant connection between our development programmes and our applied research programmes.

Many of these applied research activities have been taken up in close collaboration with ICAR institutes. It was against this background that BAIF had the privilege of entering into an over-arching Memorandum of Understanding with ICAR recently. This will help us to deepen our on-going collaboration with ICAR and have more specific programmes with ICAR institutes in the area of applied research, technology transfer, capacity building and so on.

This issue carries articles on all these areas and more.

Happy Reading!!!

F r o m t h e P r e s i d e n t

1 The BAIF Journal

Efficient Programme Management

Girish G. Sohani

2 The BAIF Journal

anni, a cluster in Bhuj block of Gujarat, is a grassland area on which many B

common grasses thrive. The local community depends on livestock rearing for their livelihood as this cluster does not have any river flowing through it. Bhuj block comprises of 158 villages of which 26 villages fall in Banni cluster. Farmers of these villages prefer to rear Banni buffaloes, Kankrej cows, camels and goats, which are popular for their dual purposes. The area is characterised by irregular rainfall and over the last one decade, 371mm average rainfall has been recorded. The minimum temperature recorded in this

0area is 8.8 C while the maximum temperature

0reaches 44 C during April month.

Banni cluster is dominated by the Muslim community comprising of Sumara, Node, Raisepotra, Mutva, Jambha, Halepotra, Raima and Jat castes who are amiable in nature. This community is traditionally engaged in buffalo breeding. They live in a dwelling locally known as Bhunga, a desert house made up of naturally growing grass of Kutchh region which protects them from hot winds, high temperatures and rainfall. Their diet consists of bajra, wheat, rice, pulses, potato, onion, chillie and plenty of milk. They use traditional agricultural implements. Migration is common among certain castes for earning wages. This cluster has a primary school, community hall, bus stand and a water tank. The animals are kept freely within a fence made of bamboo.

Khavda town, located 66 km north of Bhuj, is famous for pottery and leather work. As a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility

mandate, Solaris Chemtech Ltd. Khavda, sponsored an Animal Health Project in the year 2006 to benefit the villagers from 10 villages of Khavada, Dinara, Bhorbana and Ratadia village panchyats, who were traditionally maintaining Banni buffaloes and Kankrej cows in collaboration with BAIF's Associate Organisation - Gujarat Rural Institute for Socio-Economic Reconstruction (GRISERV). The buffalo population was 5836 while the population of cows was 6339. The morbidity rate has been very high due to prevalence of contagious diseases such as FMD, HS & BQ among the animals resulting in decrease in milk production by 25-30%, Mastitis, abortion, Anestrous and repeat breeding, loss of appetite causing hide and bound condition, less heat tolerance, avulsion of hooves and lameness and impotency in breeding males. The total number of dairy animals in this cluster was 12175 of which 6087 were in milk and the remaining 50% animals suffered from various disorders. The average milk production per animal was approximately 10 litres/day (Rs. 200/- per

Value Chain Development of Dairy Husbandry

through Health Care

3 The BAIF Journal

cow and buffalo). With 25% decrease in milk production, the economic loss was approximately Rs. 1.50 lakhs per animal per year.

When this fact was shared with the ignorant farmers, they were shocked. After interaction with the farmers, scheduled vaccination and deworming programme was introduced. Thereafter, not a single case of FMD was reported although a few incidents of HS & BQ were reported. However, the severity was not much. Awareness among farmers was created through regular training programmes for youth.

Kakar village on Khavda-Bhuj road 2 km away from Khavda village, comprises of 57 families of which the Sumra Muslim community is predominant. The total population of this village is 328 out of which 185 are males and 143 are females. They are dependent on animal husbandry for their livelihood followed by agriculture and casual labour work. In the eastern part of the village, the land below 2-2.5 feet is soft stone while in the western part, the land is saline. Most of the land in this area is covered by Prosopis juliflora (Ganda Baval). The total cultivable land is 362 acre owned by 29 farmers of which only 2 farmers receive water from Khavda dam from which they are able to irrigate only 10 acres of land and grow wheat and Psyllium (Esabgol). The major crops grown by the farmers are Bajra (Pearl millet), Guar (Cluster bean), Moong (Black bean), Math (Moth bean), Castor, Sesamum and Jowar (Sorghum) whose production is negligible. Most of the land is wastelands.

Stall feeding of animals is not practiced due to non-availability of grassland around the villages. Farmers prefer to keep their animals free and their animals browse for more than 15 hours in a day and return only at the time of

milking. During summer, animals consumed dry bajra fodder. Due to scarcity of fodder, farmers give 80% concentrate against the total nutritional requirement.

Due to preventive vaccination programme supported by SCL, improved awareness of animal husbandry practices and clean milk production, morbidity of the animals has decreased. Mother Dairy established a milk collection centre comprising of 101 members in May 2009 which benefitted the farmers as they started receiving a good price for the milk sold. Prior to the establishment of the milk cooperative, the farmers were receiving Rs. 14 per litre from the private vendor which did not cover the cost of management and feeding of their animals. The low income after sale of milk directly affected the economy of the farmers who were forced to borrow money from moneylenders at high rates of interest. However, after the establishment of the Milk Cooperative, livestock owners were able to purchase milking animals to increase their income from sale of milk to meet their daily needs. In the year 2012, 107 cows, 543 buffaloes and 25 goats have been purchased as against 40 cows, 259 buffaloes and 22 goats in the year 2009.

While the milk collection was only 9 litres on the first day of operation, the milk collection has now reached 2500 litres which indicates the interest of the farmers in animal husbandry. The highest milk collected was 4800 litres in a day. With increase in income, farmers are motivated to open their bank account and every farmer has a balance of Rs.40,000/- to Rs. one lakh in the bank. Repayment of the loan has also been regular.

Impact

Out of the 57 families, 19 families have taken loans amounting to Rs. 7.11 lakhs. Out of

4 The BAIF Journal

this, 19 farmers have successfully repaid the loans ranging from Rs. 20,000 to 80,000. 30 families have purchased motorcycles for transporting milk from their houses to the local dairy while 15 families have constructed their own houses by investing Rs. 14.42 lakhs. Some of their savings are now going towards purchase of domestic gadgets and some of the luxury items required for their families. With value chain development, initially, while there was only one dairy, today, three more dairy farms have entered the market, giving greater opportunity for wider choice for farmers to supply milk. Competition has also been breeding transparency and better value addition for their produce. Increased awareness about diseases among animals, has been helpful in receiving timely treatment. These small farmers are now aware of improved feeding and management practices and breeding of animals. Awareness among farmers has been created through regular facilitation, training, exposure visits and timely forward and backward support. At present, Sarhad, Krishna and Gokul Dairies are also purchasing milk from farmers, ensuring greater options for producers.

The intervention of BAIF-GRISERV through animal health care as an entry point activity, has triggered a momentum. Those farmers who were unaware of the opportunity due to loss of over Rs. 1.5 lakhs per animal per year due to various factors, were able to realise the hidden potential in themselves as well as in their animals. With better health, the farmers were motivated to take good care of them by feeding them well. Timely establishment of the milk collection centre which facilitated almost 30% higher price, further motivated them to adopt dairy husbandry as a reliable source of livelihood. They not only took care of their existing and growing stock but also inducted new animals by availing loans from various sources. Thus, while the primary objective was to introduce health care, the overall mission of BAIF-GRISERV was to develop value chain which enabled farmers to enhance their profits almost by 100% thereby, taking further interest in not only dairy husbandry but also conservation of the breed and timely health care. These farmers who were earlier reluctant to invest in their animals are now prepared to pay for all the services.

GRISERV Team

5 The BAIF Journal

A Milestone of BAIF in Punjabunjab has the distinction of being the Ponly state where BAIF has undertaken

buffalo improvement as a major activity, using sires whose dams' yield, are above 4000 kg/lactation. The programme is spread over Bet, Trans Ghagghar and Kandi areas which includes Patiala, Sangrur, Ropar, Hoshiarpur and Gurdaspur districts covering more than 75,000 families. So far, 154639 AI in buffaloes and 114182 AI in cows with a total of 268821 AI, have been recorded apart from minor health care services through 100 Integrated Buffalo Development Centres operated by self-employment youth, who are enjoying recognition for their services as well as very good income.

As a token of appreciation of their dedicated services and significant achievement over the last two and a half years of the initiation of the programme, the cadre of para-veterinarians and other staff, were felicitated by BAIF on April 9, 2013 at Balbera village, 28 km away from Patiala. The Chief Guest at the function was Dr. G.S. Kalkat, Chairman, Punjab State Farmers' Commission. Shri S.K. Sandhu, Principal

Secretary to Hon'ble Chief Minister of Punjab and Financial Commissioner Cooperation, Punjab, presided over the function. The Guest of Honour was Shri Balwinder Singh Sidhu, Managing Director, Milkfed Punjab. The function was a grand success and was attended by members of the Farmers' Commission, General Managers of various Milk Unions and Milkfed headquarters, Department of Dairy Development, Government of Punjab, BAIF staff and farmers. As a part of the function, a visit to the Balbera buffalo development centre was arranged where the dignitaries expressed keen interest in the achievements recorded by the centre and also interacted with the Centre In-charge and farmers receiving services from this centre. In appreciation of their hard work, the self-employed youth were gifted a T shirt with the BAIF logo embossed on it and all the staff members were given mementos as a token of appreciation.

Based on the physical achievements, quality parameters such as confirmed pregnancies

versus AI performed and AI per calf recorded by their centres, Awards at the State and Area level, were conferred on the Centre-In-charges.

The impact of the Programme in terms of record achievement in 30 months as against 60 months, quality of work, conception rate and AI per calf, demonstration of self-employment potential and higher income

for self-employed youth, acceptance of our services by farmers and faith expressed in the field team, commitment, and respect for the field staff were some of the aspects which were appreciated by the stakeholders. The event was also highlighted in the local newspapers and generated considerable interest among various Government departments.

6 The BAIF Journal

State-level Awards:

Under the State-level Award, Jagtar Singh Centre-in-charge, Rajalehri Integrated buffalo Development centre in Sangrur district recorded birth of 1099 buffalo calves till February 2013, average AI per month of 157, Conception Rate based on AI as 54.42 and AI per calf as 2.27.and was adjudged the first winner and awarded a cash prize of Rs. 15,000 and a certificate. The other winners were Sitaram from Balbera centre who recorded birth of 852 buffalo calves, an average AI per month of 126, conception rate based on AI as 58.76 and AI per calf as 1.88 and Jarnail Singh, Gheura centre, Patiala district, who registered the birth of 809 buffalo calves, average AI per month as 106, conception rate based on AI as 52.35 and AI per calf as 2.12.

Area-level Awards:

These Awards were given to 15 Centre-In-charges who are operating integrated buffalo development centres in Patiala, Patran, Hoshiarpur, Mukerian and Balachaur regions, for recording highest AI, best conception rate and AI per calf in buffalo.

alf rearing management in the first few months of calves, has a considerable impact on growth, development, C

weaning age and ultimate lifetime production. For healthy calf rearing, feeding regime is very important. This starts with the supply of colostrum immediately after birth and subsequent choice of either calf milk replacer or cow's milk. This article provides information on good feeding management and highlights the advantages of milk replacer feeding as compared to cow's milk.

Colostrum Feeding

As far as possible, the calf should be weaned at birth and fed either from a bottle or a pail. When a calf is born, the immune system is still to be built up. This starts in the first two days after birth with intake of colostrum. After a calf is born, it is important to milk out at least four liters of high value high density colostrum from the cow. Good quality colostrum with high levels of antibodies should be given to the calf immediately or within two hours after birth.

There is no transplacental passage of immunoglobulins towards the calf and only up to first six to eight hours after birth, bigger size protein molecules are capable of passing the intestinal wall.

From six hours after birth, production of hydrochloric acid starts in the abomasum which decreases the efficacy of colostrum. The amount of antibodies in the colostrum also gets depleted with time.

The size of the abomasum is around 5% of the weight of the calf i.e. a calf weighing 35 - 40 kg

will have abomasun that can hold 1.5 to 2 liters of colostrum at a time. When feeding more than two liters of colostrum, the surplus colostrum will spill into the rumen, which is not desirable. For this reason, colostrum should be given minimum three times on the first day and each time, the quantity should not exceed 5% of the body weight of the calf.

On the whole, a calf needs 150 to 200 gm of antibodies. Good quality colostrum contains 50 gm of antibodies per litre. Hence, the thumb

rule could be to feed colostrum which is total of 10 to 15% of the body weight of the calf i.e. minimum 4 and maximum 6 litres of colostrum could be fed to the new born calf in 3 to 4 portions. When more colostrum is available, it can be frozen and kept in deep freeze and used for feeding the calf when sufficient colostrum is not available from a cow. Frozen colostrum can be kept for one year and heated in a water bath (do not heat it directly on gas stove/burner) whenever required to prevent denaturation

of proteins at high temperature. After colostrum is fed, the calf can be switched over to milk replacer feeding over a period of one week. Feeding milk replacer has many advantages compared to milk feeding.

Feeding milk replacer:

Milk replacers are feed ingredients or mixture of ingredients which can be used as a substitute for whole milk. They are made from byproducts of milk with the addition of some ingredients in such a way that the final product is comparable to the whole milk. A good milk replacer should have physical (flow, density, flavour, homogeneity and taste), chemical and

7 The BAIF Journal

Feeding Calf Milk Replacer

for Better Calf Growth

nutritional characteristics comparable to milk and meet the recommendations for nutrient supply to the animals.

Ingredients used in milk replacers:

Milk replacers are usually made up of a mixture of various feed ingredients like skimmed milk powder, vegetable/leaf proteins, animal fat/tallow, buttermilk, whey proteins, soy lecithin and vitamins -mineral premix. A small proportion of ingredients like glucose, non milk proteins and cereal flour can also be used. Some farmers are known to practice feeding of small quantities of egg white as a source of protein to calves in pre-ruminant stage. As a result of increased cost of traditional ingredients and availability of new by-products from food industry, milk replacer formulations have undergone considerable changes. The ingredients used in the formulation provide protein, fat, lactose, minerals and vitamins and dissolve readily in water to facilitate feeding in physical form similar to milk. BAIF has conducted some work on developing milk replacers using leaf protein extracted from lucerne (alfalfa) as a major ingredient and other sources of vegetable proteins like linseed cake.

In a mixed farming system, surplus fresh milk from one ruminant species can be reconstituted to formulate milk replacer for another ruminant species. For example, goat or sheep milk can be used to prepare milk replacer for crossbred female calves.

Supplementing milk replacer with pre-starter porridge is also a promising approach to whole milk replacement in feeding system for cow / buffalo calves.

How to feed milk replacer:

Mix one part of dry milk replacer with 6 - 7 parts 0of warm water of 39 C just before feeding and

place in a plastic pail and feed it to calves like milk. The allowance of milk replacer should be same as milk i.e.@10% of the body weight of calf.

The Schedule of feeding milk replacer from birth to 4 months age:

lDay 1 - Feed colostrum immediately after birth within two hours up to six hours in portions of 1.5 to 2 litres at a time.

lDay 2 to 4 - Feed colostrum or transition milk @ 10% of body weight in two equal feeds in the morning and evening.

8 The BAIF Journal

Table 1. Ingredients - Composition of Milk Replacer

Sr. Ingredients Conventional BAIF 's BAIF 's No. Milk replacer Formulation 1 Formulation 2

% composition % composition % composition

1. Skimmed milk powder 60-75 - 30

2. Vegetable/leaf protein - 45 25

3. Vegetable fat/oil 15-25 12 6

4. Linseed cake (flax seed cake) 40 30

5. Animal fat/Tallow - - 6

6. Butter milk powder 5-10 - -

7. Soya lecithin 1-2 - -

8. Mineral supplements 1.5-2 3 3

9. Vitamins ADEK, B1, B2, B6, B12 etc 0.02 0.02 0.02

Note: 0.2 ml butyric acid, 2g citric acid are added per kg of milk replacer.

The BAIF Journal

lDay 5 to 14 - Switch over to milk replacer feeding gradually, increasing the milk replacer and reducing milk allowance over a period of one week. By the 14th day, start 100% milk replacer. Start calf starter from the seventh day onwards and lucerne hay from the tenth day onwards.

lDay 15 to 28 - Only milk replacer @10% of body weight in two equal feedings and calf starter of choice. Continue calf starter and hay as mentioned above.

lDay 29 to 42 - Feed milk replacer @10% of body weight in two to three equal feedings.

lDay 43 to 56 - Start weaning by gradually reducing the milk replacer and increase calf starter feed and Lucerne hay in two to three equal feedings.

lDay 57 to 120 - Continue calf starter feed and Lucerne hay or fresh Lucerne in three equal feedings.

Economics of Milk replacer feeding:

The cost of 1 kg commercial milk replacer available in the market is Rs.75. Based on the work done at BAIF, the cost of milk replacer works out to be Rs.60/- per kg. One kg of milk replacer is equivalent to 6 to 7 litres of milk. The present price of milk which the producers receives from the Milk Union is Rs. 18 per litre. Thus, there will be substantial savings in rearing of pre-ruminant calves if milk replacer is fed in

place of whole milk. However, this economics will change slightly with changing prices of raw materials and price of milk realised by the producer.

Advantages of feeding calf milk replacer:

lIt has optimal levels of vitamins, minerals and trace elements. The milk replacer is formulated in such a way that it has vitamin A and E, iron, manganese, copper, magnesium, cobalt in a quantity that can fulfill the needs of the calf. Hence, there is no risk of deficiency of these minerals in calves. There will be more resistance power against diseases.

lBetter development of the rumen: Cow milk has higher fat content than milk replacer. It has to coagulate and be pre-digested in the abomasum, which takes 5 - 8 hours. These factors are responsible for the early saturation of cow's milk and does not encourage calves to eat concentrate and roughage. In actual practice, this means that it takes longer time to wean a calf fed on cow's milk alone.

lSafer product and easier to conserve: Cow milk has much higher pH (around 6.8) compared to calf milk replacer (around 5.6 - 6.4). Due to acidification, calf milk replacers help to reduce problems at the gut level and assist in proper conservation of the product.

lAttractive economics: Calf milk replacer in most of the cases will be cheaper than cow's milk.

Despite the advantages of feeding calf milk replacer, most farmers in India use whole milk in rearing pre-ruminants and young stock. However, the use of milk replacer can be enhanced to improve the survival and growth of pre-ruminant stock. There is a need to create awareness among dairy farmers and encourage them to use milk replacers for rearing calves and increase their profitability.

V.C. Badve

9

Table 2. Chemical composition (% DM) and Energy (MJ/kg DM)

Sr. Constituent Conventional BAIF's MilkNo. Milk Replacer Replacer

1. CP 24.5 23-24

2. DP 23.3 21-22

3. EE 7.9 11-12

4. Ash 4.0 4.5

5. CF 0.25 0.4

6. ME 16.7 22.0

11 The BAIF Journal10 The BAIF Journal

National Award for Tribal FarmersThe Plant Genome Savior Community Award instituted by Protection of Plant Varieties and

Farmer's Rights Act (PPV & FRA), Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, was awarded

to a Seed Saver Farmers' Group of Jawhar tribal block in Thane district of Maharashtra,

on May 22, 2013 at the hands of Mr. Tariq Anwar, Minister for State, Agriculture, Government

of India in New Delhi. The award included a cash prize of Rs. 10 lakhs, a citation and a

memento. Mr. Sudhir Wagle, Additional Chief Programme Coordinator and Mr. Sanjay Patil,

Thematic Executive and Facilitator, BAIF-MITTRA, were present on this occasion along with 8

farmers including 2 women farmers.

The Award recognises the efforts of small and marginal farmers and communities in

conservation, improvement and preservation of genetic resources of economic plants and their

wild relatives in areas identified as agro biodiversity hotspots in the country.

The community-led Crop Germplasm Conservation Programme for conservation, revival and

sustainable use of crop genetic resources through people's participation was initiated by BAIF

through its Associate Organisation, Maharashtra Institute for Technology Transfer in Rural

Areas (MITTRA), in Jawhar, tribal block of Thane district and Dhadgaon tribal block in

Nandurbar district of Maharashtra in 2007, with the participation of 724 farmers from 11

villages of Thane and Nandurbar districts.

The main crops cultivated in Jawhar block are Paddy, Finger millet, Common millet, Pigeon pea

and Black gram. The tribal families in this cluster have traditionally cultivated over 300 diverse

varieties of rice with specific attributes such as hunger satiation, instant energy provision during

peak workloads and for medicinal use. This wonderful diversity of rice has formed the basis of a

nutritious and secure diet for the tribal population.

Dhadgaon block of Nandurbar district has an amazing diversity of Maize, Sorghum, Finger

millet and other food and plants.

Earlier, two innovative farmers, Mavanji Pawar from Chowk village and Sunil Kamadi from

Kamadipada in Jawhar block, were selected for Plant Genome Savior Farmer Recognition

2011-12 for their valuable contribution in conservation of crop genetic resources.

Programme Achievements:

Reached 4200 farmers through seed exhibition, seed fair, field visits.

Central Seed Bank at Jawhar has a collection of 400 landraces of paddy, millets, maize,

pulses, oil seeds, vegetables and tubers.

Three Community Seed Banks have been established, two at Jawhar block and one at

Dhadgaon block

A Video Documentation "From Seed Sovereignty to Food Security" has been produced in

English and Marathi.

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AIF has been a partner with ICAR for many years by way of participation in B

AICRP Projects and more recently, as Leader and Partner in the consortium-led Technology Development Programme under NAIP.

On February 14, 2013, this relationship was further strengthened when BAIF signed an MOU with ICAR to conduct field research to enhance the productivity of natural resources owned by farmers in a sustainable manner. This agreement provides scope to take up collaborative research , t ra in ing and out reach programmes and to facilitate exchange of ideas through various ICAR divisions and ins t i tu t ions . The col labora t ive programmes will cover strategic research, technology demonstration and transfer, applied field-based research, capacity building and outreach in dairy animal development, goat development, natural resource management, agroforestry, tree-based farming systems, climate change

mitigation, conservation of animal and plant genetic resources, post harvest technologies, etc. This agreement also envisages the scope to sign further agreements with ICAR Institutes such as NDRI, IVRI, NBAGR, IGFRI, CRIDA, CAZRI, IIHR, IARI, etc.

The agreement was signed between Dr. S. Ayyappan, Director General, ICAR and Secretary, DARE and Shri. G.G. Sohani, President, BAIF during the Governing Body meeting in the presence of all the DDGs of ICAR, Members of the Governing Body, Shri. Ramesh Rawal, Executive Vice President, BAIF and Shri. Vikram Bhambhu, Senior Programme Officer, BAIF.

Subsequent to the agreement, BAIF received an opportunity to participate in the ICAR Director's Conference held on March 20, 2013. This meeting was attended by all the Directors of ICAR Institutes and other senior officials and

12 The BAIF Journal

Scientific Collaboration with ICAR and Meeting with Directors of ICAR Institutes

field network of BAIF which is strongly rooted to the ground under diverse agro-climatic conditions in the country. This relationship will also give an impetus to farmers' felt need-based research.

I also see a great opportunity to ensure international collaboration in research through this agreement. I am sure both ICAR and BAIF will make optimum use of this partnership for the benefit of poor farmers in the country.

Mr. Ramesh Rawal, Executive Vice President, BAIF

13 The BAIF Journal

scientists. The team led by Shri. Sohani, included Shri. Rawal, Dr. A.B. Pande, Senior Vice President, Shri. Bharat Kakade, Vice President and Dr. D.N. Shindey, Vice President, BAIF. A brief p r e s e n t a t i o n o n B A I F ' s w o r k , infrastructure - physical and manpower and highlights of various collaborations, was made.

Though most of the Scientists were already aware of the good work of BAIF through visits during AICRP meetings and interactions, it was an excellent opportunity to share the potential of collaboration with BAIF with the other scientists present on this occasion. Apart from specific research projects, BAIF will also have an opportunity to access scientific talent, latest research facilities and infrastructure and technologies developed by ICAR Institutes for transfer of technologies to farmers. Similarly, ICAR scientists will have access to the vast

(Visit to Harahi cattle development centre at Harahi village in Ranchi district of Jharkhand on May 2, 2013)

After visiting BAIF's cattle breeding centre at Gokul Gram Bhawan,

I visited the farmers to see the good work being done by the centre. Timely doorstep

AI services provided to dairy farmers, close monitoring, post AI services and other

critical inputs in cattle management are admirable. I am impressed with the excellent

work done at this centre and hope that the centre will continue to provide support to

dairy farmers in the future .

Shri. Jai Prakash Mishra, Adviser, Planning Commission, Government of India

As Seen by Others

Regional News

14 The BAIF Journal

Dr. Arvind Kumar Jhajharia, Subject Matter Specialist, Extension Education, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Chaswad, participated in the National Seminar on "Social Dimensions of Extension Education in Holistic Development of Rural Livelihood" in Lucknow on April 26-27, 2013. The conference was organised by the Indian Society of Extension Education, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi.

Dr. Jhajharia presented a paper entitled "To Analyse the Mass Media Feedback Behaviour of Farmers about Radio Listening, TV Viewing, Farm Magazine and Newspaper Reading in Jaipur Region" which was adjudged the Best Paper at the seminar.

Dr. Jhajharia was also nominated on the Governing Board of Members of the Indian Society of Extension Education as Executive Counsellor - Western Zone covering Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Daman and Diu for a period of three years.

The seminar was attended by representatives from Agricultural Universities, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Agricultural Research Station, State Government Officials and research scientists.

A

GUJART

15 The BAIF Journal

Goat Rally

A goat rally was arranged at a middle level school in Tapsi village in cluster I of Jama block in Dumka district under imGoats Project on March 20, 2013 to demonstrate

kids, castrated goats and to motivate farmers to adopt better management practice in goat husbandry. Local traders were also invited. 343 goats belonging to 93 goat keepers from Tapsi and Bandha villages were registered. More than 80 project kids and 20 castrated goats participated in the rally. The rally was inaugurated by Dr. K.L. Mehra, Regional Director, Department of Animal Husbandry, Dumska. The Selection Committee comprising of BAIF Veterinary Officer Dr. Banani Mandal and Government Veterinary Officers Dr. Abhishek

Oraon and Dr. Sameer Sahai, selected three champion goats after observing goat husbandry practices followed by goat keepers.

Dr. Mandal welcomed all the guests and briefed them about the imGoats Project. Dr. Mehra expressed his satisfaction with the participation of female goat keepers and highlighted the role of women in goat rearing and suitability of Black Bengal breed. Dr. Sahai briefed the goat keepers about the qualities

of Black Bengal breed i.e. high prolificacy, best quality meat, good skin and faster growth apart from providing information on deworming, vaccination and castration. Mr. A. L. Yadav, Zonal in Charge, Dumka also spoke on the occasion.

Bijli Devi from Tapsi village won the first prize for her outstanding herd of kids who were serviced though project breeding buck in February 2013 and all the kids were observed to be healthy. The three winners received prizes at the hands of Dr. Mehra, Dr. Sahai and Dr. Oraon. The other goat keepers were awarded consolation prize.

Goat Husbandry Manual Released

The Manual on Sustainable Goat Husbandry with its focus on goat husbandry by small goat keepers adopting good husbandry practices, which can be profitable as well as eco-friendly, was released at the hands of Capt. Bandyopadhyay, Di rec to r, Animal Husbandry, Jharkhand, during the 4th and final National Advisory Committee (NAC) meeting of imGoats Project held in Ranchi on April 6, 2013.

HAD

JHARKN

KARNATAKA

16 The BAIF Journal

Book on Livestock Released

Sri. Koushik Mukharji, Development Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka, released a booklet on Livestock Ksheerasiri

published by BIRD-Karnataka on February 14, 2013 at Vidhana Soudha, Bangalore during the review of the Cattle Breeding Project being implemented by BIRD-K in 22 districts with the support of Government of Karnataka.

While endorsing continuation of the centres, Sri. Mukharji advised strengthening of the centres through fodder development, vaccination, care of pregnant animals, calf care and training of the farmers. "The activities of BIRD-Karnataka are complementary and not competitive to the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science. However, healthy competition to some extent is acceptable. Today, dairy has become the primary livelihood and has replaced agriculture. Poverty in Northern Karnataka needs to be understood for which sectorwise analysis is necessary he added.

The Commissioner and Director, AH & VS, Mission Director, NRLM and Representatives from RDPR and Finance Department participated in the meeting. Mr. K. Mallikarjuna, Chief Programme Coordinator, BIRD-Karnataka presented the progress of activities. Sri. B.K. Kakade, Executive Vice Chairman, BIRD-Karnataka and Sri. H. Prakash, Additional Chief Programme Coordinator, BIRD-K, also participated in the meeting.

Calf Rally at Khaliapali village, Balangir district

Under the Kalyani Integrated Livestock Development Programme (ILDP) launched on October 2, 2010 by the Chief Minister of Odisha, cattle development, goat development, fodder development and technology development are being ensured through 100 Cattle Development Centres. Under this programme, a maiden rally of calves born under the programme was organised at Khaliapali village under Chandanbhati CDC in Balangir district on January 22, 2013. This programme was inaugurated by Mr. Satyabrat Sahu IAS, Commissioner cum Secretary, Animal Resources Department Government of Odisha. 130 calves of Jersey, HF, Sahiwal, Gir and Murrah buffalo participated from 5 - 6 villages around Khaliapali. The calves were divided into 3

OS

ARI S

17 The BAIF Journal

Training on Assessment of Carbon Sequestration

A two-day training on "Assessment of Carbon sequestration" was organised on December 21-22, 2012 at CRIDA, Hyderabad for organised for 31 employees of BAIF and BIRD-AP followed by a field visit. The topics covered different types of green

house gases, their emission, their impact on atmosphere, sources and their measurement in field and laboratory; Assessment and methodology of carbon sequestration through agro-

forestry and field crops through live demonstration in field; Use of bio-char for addition of carbon in soil as well as retention of water in rain -fed areas through live demonstration of bio-char plot in field; Information on Bio-char equipment and their manufacturing; Use of zero tillage to increase the biomass in field and their importance for the carbon sequestration; Importance of community biogas unit which reduces methane emission; Different by-products of fodder in the form of Bricks and their preparation; Jatropha, Pongamia,

and Simaroba non-edible bio-fuel plantation which increase the carbon credit and importance of farm mechanisation in agriculture through live display of farm implements.

ANDHRA PRADESH

categories such as females below 6 months of age, those above 6 months of age and males. The first, second and third prizes were given to the best calves from each category and consolation prizes were given to all the participants.

The Commissioner interacted with the calf owners while inspecting the calves and emphasized on feeding more milk, deworming and concentrate for ensuring good health of the animals so that, they can become high yielding calves with higher income for farmers. Chaff cutter, azola and fodder enrichment were demonstrated during the rally. The Commissioner advised the farmers to adopt these technologies so as to reduce their expenditure and earn additional income from cattle rearing. Others present on this occasion were Mr. D Prasanta Kumar Reddy Programme Director District Rural Development Agency Bolangir district, Dr. B.S Chakrabarty, Chief District Veterinary Officer, Bolangir District, Sri. K Narayan Murthy, General Manager, Bolangir Milk Union, Sri Y.A. Thakur, Chief Programme Coordinator, BAIF, Mrs. Khulana Bag Sarpanch Gram Panchayat Khaliapali and officers of the Veterinary Department and BAIF. Sri Thakur, Dr. Chakraborty, Sri. Narayan Murthy, Sri. A.M. Nitturkar and Dr. V.K. Singh provided information on dairy cattle management, calf rearing, NS green fodder cultivation, health, marketing of milk, schemes of the Government for dairy development.

Background

Maintaining a breeding buck of goat as Amariya has always been a tradition but the goat keepers have not always been happy with the service. The custom was to avail breeding services for all the goats in the village. Hence, a study was conducted to assess the strengths and weaknesses of this system. This has been of particular interest to BAIF as it has been taking up eco-friendly goat husbandry with the objective of providing superior quality bucks for a group of goat keepers without letting them out for grazing.

Prior to the introduction of the genetic improvement programme, a traditional breeding practice existed since generations in Rajasthan. The villagers select a healthy buck, preferably an outstanding male kid, from the available population in the village and leave it in the village as Amariya for providing natural breeding service to the local goat population. The tradition is that at the time of any festival or on an auspicious date, goat keepers based on certain criteria such as age group in the range of

9 to 12 months, with good weight, size, shape, shiny hair and skin without spots, select a healthy buck for sacrifice. This buck is punched affectionately on the ear and moves around freely in the village. This sacred buck has a life span of 8 to 12 years during which period, it services all the goats as and when they come into heat. Thus, the villagers have no botheration of maintaining their own breeding bucks. This system has several disadvantages but being a religious tradition, nobody has objected to this system.

Methodology

For the study, selected villages in Ajmer, Alwar, Bhilwara, Bara and Udaipur districts where Amariya buck is maintained by the local community, were covered. Data was collected through 26 focus group discussion sessions based on a questionnaire developed for the interaction. Discussions were also held with the veterinarians to find out the scientific implications of maintaining this traditional buck.

Results and Discussion

Goat keepers in each focus group revealed that there was a difference in the progeny of Amariya buck and normal buck. They claimed that kids born from Amariya buck were healthier in terms of body weight. However, they failed to report the difference in terms of the number of kids born and the milk yield. Twins and triplets were very rare in goats which were mated with Amariya buck. No significant impact on milk production was also observed. 46% reported abortions in goats mated with Amariya buck either during the middle or

18 The BAIF Journal

Goat Improvement: Need for a Shift from Amariya to Elite Bucks managed by Goat Keepers

19 The BAIF Journal

towards the end of pregnancy. As it is considered to be a common property resource, 53% reported that no one took care of the health and feeding practices of this breed while 47% reported that the entire village took responsibility of this buck. Amariyas are neither vaccinated nor periodically checked. As no proper feeding is practiced, these bucks are often overfed or enter crop fields for grazing, thereby causing damage to crops.

Regarding breeding services, 92% admitted that Amariya buck is available free of cost whenever they require breeding service from this buck and 57% expressed that they were happy with the quality. However, many expressed that the quality of this buck deteriorates in the absence of proper maintenance. It also causes inbreeding and there is a high risk of infectious diseases spreading to the entire herd through this buck. Thus, Amariyas provide good service for 3-4 years but subsequently, they are not useful but there is no provision to take it out of the village, to prevent inbreeding. These facts were corroborated by the local veterinarian. 80% of the villagers agreed that Amariyas cause extensive damage to their crops but they are compelled to accept it. The high price of meat in

the market also prevents the goat keepers from sacrificing their bucks for Amariyas and 80% admitted that they do not want to continue with this practice.

Conclusion

From the study, it is clear that there are more disadvantages than advantages of this system. As careful selection is made to select a suitable buck, low imbalanced feeding, destruction of crop fed on by Amariya, prolonged inbreeding and transmission of diseases, are the major drawbacks which nullify the good effects of superior germplasm and this has been observed by almost 85% of the farmers. On the contrary, the benefits of maintaining superior bucks by goat keepers themselves, to be shared within the group, and sharing the cost of feeding and maintaining for breed improvement, is being accepted well.

With the system of maintaining elite buck by a goat keepers' group, the villagers have started realising the advantages of this system vis-à-vis Amariyas and have gradually shifted to the system of maintaining elite bucks free from diseases and systematic rotation among other groups, to avoid inbreeding.

Keerti Prajapati and BAIF Team

20 The BAIF Journal

Dr. G.R. Hegde, a veteran veterinarian who dedicated his entire life for the welfare of livestock and human beings, left for his heavenly abode on May 12, 2013 in Bangalore at the age of 82 after a cardiac arrest. A veterinary graduate from the Bombay Veterinary College of the 1955 batch, Dr. Hegde joined the Animal H u s b a n d r y D e p a r t m e n t , Government of Karnataka. He further pursued his studies with a Post Graduate Diploma in Poultry Science and Technology (NDPH) from IVRI and D.A.Sc. from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Impressed with the mission of BAIF, he took voluntary r e t i r e m e n t f r o m t h e Government of Karnataka and joined BAIF in 1980 as the Chief Programme Coordinator of BIRD Karnataka. He developed interest in Dairy husbandry, Animal health, Forage development and Agroforestry.

With his determination and hard work, he was able to launch the cattle development programme with the support of the Government of Karnataka. Dr. Hegde took special interest in the development of the research and demonstration campus at Lakkihalli, introduction of suitable new species, wastelands development and tree-based farming. He brought recognition and appreciation for BIRD-Karnataka at the regional and national level for the premium

service provided by BAIF throughout the state, which made a impact in the field.

Dr. Hegde also participated in various national and state level conferences on veterinary science and community forestry and shared his vast experience in the field for the benefit of small and progressive

farmers, community leaders and field practitioners. He also served on

the Advisory Committees of the Government of India and State Government related to Animal Sciences and N a t u r a l R e s o u r c e Management. He has written over 60 articles for l ead ing na t iona l and

regional journals and a few books on veterinary health

care in Kannada and English. He was also invited by All India

Radio several times to deliver series of talks on veterinary health care and sustainable development over Dharwad, Bangalore and Mysore radio stations. After serving as Chief Programme Coordinator and Resource Programme Organiser, Dr. Hegde retired from BAIF in 1995. Later, he continued to serve the farming community actively and made a good name as an outstanding veterinarian in the state.

We salute Dr. G.R. Hegde for his commitment and enthusiasm. We are indebted to Dr. Hegde for taking forward the programmes of BIRD-Karnataka during his tenure in BAIF. May his soul rest in peace.

Tribute to Dr. G.R. HegdeTribute to Dr. G.R. Hegde

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From theBook S elfh

Close field studies conducted by BAIF over two decades have shown that goat husbandry by small goat keepers adopting good husbandry practices, can be profitable as well as eco-friendly. The programme implemented by BAIF in West Bengal, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Maharashtra, has enabled BAIF and many other organisations including State Governments, to replicate the sustainable model on a wider scale without posing a threat to the biodiversity. These experiences are shared in this publication for the benefit of farmers and professionals engaged in goat development.

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As Seen by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam THE BHARATIYA AGRO INDUSTRIES FOUNDATION (BAIF) MODEL

FOR TRIBAL REHABILITATION AND DRY REGIONS

I saw the integrated village cluster development programme

during my visit with Narayan G. Hegde, an IIM graduate and

an expert in farming and dairying. Chonda and Lachakadi,

two village clusters in south Gujarat, have a population of

5,000. The tribal people from these villages migrate to

nearby towns every summer. The BAIF model was installed

here with the cooperation of the people and the

participation of state authorities. First, water harvesting

was undertaken to make water available to all. Every

home was provided with livestock and a market for the

milk produced by them.

DAIRY HUSBANDRY

BAIF members demonstrated the possibility of

producing high-yielding cows by cross-breeding

uneconomic, nondescript cattle with exotic dairy

breeds while conserving the elite native breeds.

Unemployed local youths were trained to undertake

livestock breeding, pregnancy diagnosis, vaccinations

for preventing disease, primary health care, forage

production, feeding and other technical aspects of

livestock development in rural areas. Each para-

veterinarian assistant was assigned twelve to fifteen villages. This

programme has enabled needy farmers to regain their self-confidence and produce good quality

cattle. Door-to-door service has helped them avail of timely assistance and to develop faith in

adopting technology. This programme has also helped conserve community pastures and forests,

and promoted organic farming, women's empowerment and food security through the easy supply

of milk and the enhanced agricultural production.

CATTLE-BREEDING CENTRE

BAIF runs nearly 1,850 cattle breeding centres which they propose to increase to 5,000. The country

needs over 30,000 cattle breeding centres in order to generate the cattle needed by 50 million

families. This requires a replication of the BAIF type of organization in different parts of the country

and simultaneously, additional input to BAIF, so that it can train and empower the local people to

undertake the tasks involved in cattle breeding, cattle care, milk processing and marketing.

The BAIF model of integrated economic development with knowledge empowerment is an ideal

example of the approach we need to take in order to empower the 3 billion rural population of the

world through the PURA platform.

- Target 3 Billion, PURA: Innovative Solutions towards Sustainable Development, Penguin Books India, 2011