Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 3.3
Risk status in actual number (%) of goat breeds by region of the world.
Region
Unknown
Not at risk
Extinct
At risk
Total
Africa
38 (43)
50 (56)
0
1 (1)
89
Asia and Pacifi c
29 (20)
50 (34)
1 (1)
67 (46)
147
Europe
25 (12)
86 (43)
14 (7)
76 (38)
201
Latin America
and Caribbean
19 (56)
15 (44)
0
0
34
Near East
47 (49)
40 (42)
1 (1)
7 (7)
95
North America
8 (38)
3 (14)
1 (5)
9 (43)
21
Total
166 (28)
282 (41)
17 (3)
160 (27)
587
Source: Galal (2005) .
endangered. The number of livestock species in the world
deemed at risk of extinction has been estimated at 27% in
goats, 22% in sheep, 13% in buffaloes, 29% in cattle, 40%
in pigs, 42% in horses, 23% in asses, and 8% in camels
(Galal, 2005 ).
Most traditional breed populations and landraces that
have remained in their habitats for centuries, currently are
experiencing urban encroachment. The environmental
impact from the destruction of habitats compromises the
survival of many breed populations. This situation is
more critical in the nomadic pastoralist systems due to
predators, overgrazing, loss of grazing rights in the moun-
tain and forest pastures, and abandonment of the traditional
profession. The majority of the endangered goat breeds,
worldwide, rely on a very small number of male and
female parents for their propagation; this minimizes the
effective population size. There is a general agreement
among geneticists that small populations are subject to
inbreeding depression and genetic drift that result in the
recurring loss of genetic variation and erosion of genetic
diversity.
The FAO (1998, 2000) defi nes “ breeds at risk ” (critical
and endangered) as those with fewer than 1,000 females,
with fewer than 20 males, or with a total population size
approaching 1,200. The risk increases as the proportion of
females declines below 80%. According to this defi nition
goats rank next to buffaloes in percentage of breeds not at
risk worldwide (41% versus 64%). At the same time, 3%
of the goat breeds have become extinct compared to 12%
for sheep breeds and 17% for cattle breeds. Among geo-
graphical regions, the highest percentage of extinct goat
breeds was in Europe (7%) followed by North America
(5%), with the rate of extinction ranging from zero to one
in other regions. Yet, goats have the largest percentage of
breeds (28%) in the world whose populations are not
reported or are unknown compared to other ruminant live-
stock. This is understandable because goats are distributed
in vast areas of the world, and collection of census data is
diffi cult. The risk status for goat breeds by region of the
world is presented in Table 3.3. The low rate of extinction
can be attributed to goats not being popular in the indus-
trialized countries, thus limiting their exposure to intensi-
fi cation when compared to other livestock and poultry
species.
GLOBALIZATION
Globalization is defi ned as the process of unifying people
or a local phenomenon into a single society and functions
as a global phenomenon involving a combination of eco-
nomical, technological, sociocultural, and political aspects.
Globalization involves integration of national economies
through international trade, foreign investment, capital
fl ow, migration, and spread of technology. One effect of
globalization in agriculture has been the transformation of
family operated farms into agribusinesses. Larger farms
seek to raise livestock and poultry breeding stocks of supe-
rior genetic merit and utilize mechanization and farm
buildings or extensive pastures with relatively few employ-
ees. This technology has achieved considerable success in
increasing food production worldwide to meet the demand
of the growing human population.
In the last two decades, national and international atten-
tion has been drawn toward the depletion of biodiversity,
that includes domestic animals. The erosion of genetic
resources that has been occurring at an alarming rate could
lead to a critical level in the near future so that the ability
of the world communities to develop livestock and poultry
to meet current demands and future market requirements
for commodities, trade, breeding stocks, employment, and
recreation would be impaired.
