Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
12.6.4 Selective Breeding via
Controlled Mating
Modeling disease outbreaks and spread can
provide valuable information for the develop-
ment of management strategies. Modeling
involves studying disease distribution and pat-
terns of spread to determine the scale of a prob-
lem. This information is used to develop a model
that can predict the spread of disease. Disease
modeling requires prior knowledge of animal
population distributions and ecology, diseases
present, and methods of disease transmission.
Modeling can be used to assess potential disease
impacts and develop contingency plans.
Geographic Information System (GIS) soft-
ware can play a key role in livestock disease man-
agement. The main advantage of GIS software is
not just that the user can see how a disease is dis-
tributed geographically, but also that an animal
disease can be viewed against other information
(e.g., maps that show the possible impacts of cli-
mate change on rainfall patterns, crop yields, and
fl ooding). The disease presence can then be
related to these factors and more easily appreci-
ated visually. This is important in relation to
managing and responding to the changes in dis-
tribution of diseases due to changing climate.
The role of indigenous knowledge in livestock
disease management under climate change has
been shown, in certain cases, to be cost-effective,
sustainable, environmental friendly, and practi-
cal. Practices include:
Utilization of local plant remedies for preven-
tion and cure of diseases.
Avoiding certain pastures at particular times
of the year and not staying too long in one
place to avoid parasite buildup.
Lighting smoke fi res to repel insects, espe-
cially tsetse fl ies.
Mixing species in the herd to avoid the spread
of disease.
Avoiding infected areas or moving upwind of
them, spreading livestock among different
herds to minimize risks, and quarantining sick
animals.
Selective breeding. As an example from the
arid south of Zambia, restocking and promot-
ing the rearing of drought-tolerant goat breeds
are adaptive measures already being
undertaken.
Genetic makeup infl uences fi tness and adaptation
and determines an animal's tolerance to shocks
such as temperature extremes, drought, fl ooding,
pests, and diseases. Adaptation to harsh environ-
ments includes heat tolerance and an animal's
ability to survive, grow, and reproduce in the
presence of poor seasonal nutrition as well as
parasites and diseases. Selective breeding is a
technology that aims to improve the value of ani-
mal genetic diversity. This technology can be
applied to all types of livestock, including cattle,
sheep, and goats. As developments have been
made over time in improving measurement tech-
niques and methods for estimating an animal's
genetic potential, the power and effectiveness of
selective breeding as a tool has also increased.
Over the last half century, it has helped achieve
dramatic improvements in the productivity of
livestock species as well as improvements in the
health and welfare of livestock and other
animals.
Selective livestock breeding is the systematic
breeding of animals in order to improve produc-
tivity and other key characteristics. Various
methods for selective breeding exist, from high-
tech and costly processes such as in vitro fertil-
ization or genetic engineering to more simple
low-cost techniques that rely on the selection
and controlled mating of animals based on
observable characteristics. Key breeding traits
associated with climate change resilience and
adaptation include thermal tolerance, low-quality
feed, high kid survival rate, disease resistance,
good body condition, and animal morphology. In
general, developing countries have a weak
capacity for high-tech breeding programs to
increase livestock adaptation (IFAD
2002
).
Therefore, programs based on controlled mating
methods are likely to be more appropriate. These
programs usually do not produce immediate
improvements. Improvements are usually not
seen for at least one growing season, so a live-
stock producer must be able to incorporate
long-term planning into production manage-
ment strategies. Such measures could include
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