Animal production is an aspect of agricultural production. Agriculture is simply defined as the art and science of crop, animal and fibre production for human consumption.
As a branch of agriculture, animal production deals with
production of domesticated animals other than pets and game animals.
Major constraints faced in arid and semiarid
regions include feed and fodder scarcity and lack of good quality breeding
stock especially in the existing small ruminant production system.
In
this article we will state numerous constraints confront the Nigerian livestock
industry and impede its growth and development.
6 Major Problems Confronting Livestock Production
Some
of the most limiting factors are listed and discussed as follow:
1. Nutrition and Feed Supplies
The
provision of feed that is adequate both in quality and quantity and accessible
to animals all year round is the most outstanding problem of livestock
production in Nigeria. The natural range resources that form the primary source
of nutrients have been observed to rapidly increase in nutritive value at the onset
of rains and decline shortly thereafter.
The
state of poor nutritive feed quality often last longer during the year than the
period of forage abundance and high nutritive quality. Supplementation with
crop residues from cropped farmlands scarcely meets the requirements for animal
growth.
The
unavailability of grazing feedstuff in the year round is aggravated by the
widespread bushfire and imbalance between the stocking rate and carrying
capacity of the range.
The
consequence of overstocking is simply high incidence of erosion and a reduction
in the carrying capacity of vast land area with potential for high cattle
production as in the Jos and Mambilla Plateaux, Sahel and Sudan ecological
zones.
In
event of acute shortage of range resources during the dry season and extending
for a period of 2 years as in 1972-1974 considerable losses in live weight and
number of stock usually result. The cyclical occurrence of feed deficit year in
and year out impairs animal growth rate and reproductive performance while
instigating movement of stock from one place to another with its numerous
attendant problems including high susceptibility of animals to diseases and
pest attack and often fatal clash between herders and farmers.
2. Inadequate Breeding
Programme
Adoption of haphazard breeding programme in
which indigenous cows are crossbred with bulls by natural or artificial
insemination at one time and massive importation of exotic breeds into Nigeria
at another, have failed to make any tangible impact.
The
consequence of this is the proliferation of local breeds of cattle in their
numbers not responding to improvement in quantitative traits. It is still not
clear as to what means to categories local breeds of cattle as dairy or beef
type. They all exhibit dual or triple-purpose traits, with productivity far
below the average expected.
The
reproductive performance of the cows which is an important consideration in
breeding is hampered by long calving interval that is rooted in poor management
and inadequate feeding. Worst still, Nigeria has no breeding policy programme
for her livestock.
3. Disease and Pest
Infestation
Due
to tropical nature of the Nigerian environment, a number of important epizootic
diseases of livestock easily thrive. In cattle, for example; rinderpest,
contagious pleuropneumonia (CBPP), dermatophilosis foot and mouth disease,
anaplasmosis, babesiosis and trypanosomiasis. These diseases are so virulent
that they limit production, increase morbidity and cause widespread death of
cattle. Recently, Nigeria was officially declared free of rinderpest infection.
However,
other diseases of less epizootic nature are assuming increasing significance
e.g. mastitis, brucellosis, dermatophilosis, heartwater etc.
Together
these reduce productivity of the national herd even if they are less virulent.
Although much progress has been made in the diagnosis and control of some of
these diseases, the increasing populations of vector-pests that transmit the
diseases constitute a major hazard and threat to farm animal production in
Nigeria.
Infestation
of tsetse fly alone for example, covers 75 per cent or 600,000 to 700,000 km2
of the entire country (FMA and GRNC, 1981) rendering areas with valuable feed
resource nearly inhabitable for cattle.
Other
pests of significant economic importance are enteric and helmintic parasites of
coccidian emeria, flukes, roundworm and hookworms as well as ectoparasites like
ticks, mange, mites and lice. They cause diarrhoea, loss of appetite, slow
growth rate, unthrithfulness, damages to skin and most often debilitating
mortality among stock leading to grave economic losses.
4. Land Ownership and Usage
Land
tenure remains a major obstacle to livestock development, for herders have no
secured individual accesses or rights to land. Communities and individuals who
crop the land often lay claim to ownership of the land. A concession to carry
out agricultural activities is merely given to settled pastoralists rather
permanent land tenureship. Little or no opportunity is available for
pastoralists to invest and develop the land for a full return of benefits and
expansion.
5. Low Investment Potential
The
slow rate of growth of the livestock industry in Nigeria denotes a long
gestation period for investment to mature. This is contrary to quick return on
investment desired by financial institutions like banks and investment houses.
Livestock projects are scarcely attractive unlike services and trades that have
tendency to return borrowed funds and interest more quickly due to longer
period of growth required and the high uncertainty it is associated.
Collaterals and guarantee of substantial value are not easily available for
livestock producers to secure sufficient loans to improve production even in
few instances where financial institution may be willing to do so.
6. Institutional Problems
Lack
of genuine institutional support and political will to muster required efforts
to improve livestock production cannot be divested from problems confronting
the industry. In countries of India, Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand etc,
deliberate action-packed programmes are outlined and implemented with very
strong extension component that enables experts work in collaboration with
native producers to find solutions to the problems of production.
In
Nigeria such plan programmes are tested within a limited area and frustrated by
undue rivalry and competition for position, profession or financial benefits as
well as poor implementation strategy. Policies are written and are never
implemented before abrupt changes are introduced. As a result, Nigeria has as
many policies as the number of commissions set up to assess part or all the
teething problems militating against the growth of the livestock industry.
As
if the poor attitude on the part of government is insufficient, the greater
undoing comes from producers who are largely uneducated, conservative and
highly mobile. Meaningful extension outreach can rarely accommodate producers
who harbor hatred, suspicion or reject and are nonchalant towards innovations
put in place for adoption.
Also read: Brief Historical Development and Roles of Animal Production in Nigeria
Top 7 Strategies for Advancing Animal Production in Nigeria
Some
strategies for purposeful development of the livestock industry in Nigeria are
suggested as follows:
1.
Change in value and attitude of livestock producers from the present
consideration for number of stock as status symbol to more important objectives
of higher productivity and socioeconomic benefits that are business oriented.
2.
Careful selection of local breeding stock from breed and individual records.
3.
National upgrading and breeding programmes involving exotic and local breeds,
thereby mass producing the heterozygous offspring for production purposes.
4.
Careful exploration of various farming
systems to ensure availability of feedstuff throughout the year and
intensification agricultural production system.
5.
Feed quality improvement through deliberate supplementation and range
exploitation to meet daily requirements for various nutrients.
6.
Exploitation of the biological abilities of the stock to derive maximally from
the available feedstuff.
7.
Establishment of a responsive and resilient animal health system that is
capable of quick intervention, continuous and effective management of animal
diseases and their predisposing agents and conditions.
Read on: INTRODUCTION TO ANIMAL AGRICULTURE
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