Tackling the future challenges of Organic Animal Husbandry - vTI

! Agriculture and Forestry Research, Special Issue No 362 (Braunschweig, 2012) ISSN 0376-0723
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Abstract
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Green fodder Cultivation and their Feeding Practices by
Indian Livestock Owners: Under climate change conditions
NIRANJAN LAL, H.P.S. ARYA, M.P.SAGAR AND RENU SINGH
Central Avian Research Institue, Izatnagar (243122), UP India
Indian agriculture is oriented towards crop cultivation. Livestock, dairy and poultry farming are
the least developed branches of Indian agriculture. Perhaps the reason for lesser attention towards
these branches is the character of the season and natural vegetation, which can provide a very
small proportion of nutrients to animals in terms of quality and quantity. The optimum grazing
season does not extent for more than 4-5 months in a year.
Key word: Profitability, Green fodder, Farmers, Scientist, Perception.
Introduction
Green fodder cultivation is not a new farming practice in Indian perspective. While all the cultivating
communities were growing protein-rich nutritive green fodder for their livestock. The perception
about green fodder cultivation and its use could be the same as that of the scientists. In order to
examine and confirm this view, this study was conducted in Bareilly district of U.P. (India).
The study was carried out a cluster of 6 villages of Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh. A maximum of
40 minimum of 10 respondents were selected from those who had been using the selected animal
husbandry technologies advocated by various agencies since last 5 years (1994-98). Thus, 200 livestock
owners constituted the sample size for the study. Simultaneously, 50 scientists were also
selected as respondents to obtain their perception for the comparison. Data were collected through
personal interviews as well as through Participatory Rural Appraisal Techniques, group meeting
and analyzed by different statistical method.
The profitability of FMD vaccination was operational zed as the farmer’s or expert’s perception of
profit occurring or which likely to occur due to this vaccination. The response was taken on a 5
point scale viz., highly profitable, profitable, somewhat profitable, least profitable and not at all
profitable.
Profile of the respondents
The majority of house holds (63.00%) had less that 5 animal workers in their family involved performing
the animal husbandry tasks in comprehensive way followed by 34.5% respondents who
had 5-7 animal workers. Majority of the vaccination users (57.5%) belonged to the middle age
group (30-35 yrs) followed by young (23.00%0 and old age (19.50%). Out of which 46% were from
OBC category and 33% from General had marginal land holding (≤1) followed by small (36.50%)
and large (18.50%) wherein 55.50% respondents had area under fodder crops grown like Barseem
and Makcheri less than 4 bigha followed by 33.50% 4-6bigha and 11% more than 6 begha levels
covered in fodder production for their good health. The data clearly showed that very few respondents
4.50% had large size of herd (≤8 nos) whereas 51.50% respondents had small size of heard.
Majority of the respondents had low cropping intensity i.e. 221-240. Only 2% respondents had low
cropping intensity i.e. 220%. The data further depicted that Desi-cattle with majority of respondents
(58.50%) were medium producers (4-5lit) of milk per day followed by 34.50% ownerswere producing
(less that 4 lit per day and only 7% respondents were producing more that 5 liter of milk per
day). Majority of crossbred cattle owners (57%) comes under high milk produces (i.e. 8 lit. per day