Unit 4: Livestock Farming I

1. Importance of animal husbandry in food production

Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with the rearing, breeding, and management of domestic animals. Its importance to human welfare and food production is immense.

• Direct Food Production: It provides essential, high-protein food products.
  • Meat: From cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, and poultry.
  • Milk: From dairy farming (cows, buffaloes, goats).
  • Eggs: From poultry farming (chickens, ducks).
• Nutritional Security: These animal products are rich in proteins, vitamins, and minerals essential for human growth and development. In many developing regions, they are a primary source of protein.
• Economic Importance:
  • By-products: Provides valuable materials like wool, leather, and silk for clothing and other industries.
  • Employment: The industry employs millions of people, from farmers and herders to veterinarians and food processors.
  • Income Generation: Sale of livestock and animal products contributes significantly to the GDP of many countries.
• Sustainable Agriculture:
  • Nutrient Cycling: Livestock convert plant materials that humans cannot digest into high-quality protein.
  • Manure: Animal manure is used as a natural fertilizer, improving soil quality and reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers.

2. Overview of different livestock organisms used in Assam and their characteristics

Assam has a rich biodiversity of indigenous livestock breeds that are well-adapted to its hot, humid, and flood-prone climate. These breeds are known for their hardiness, disease resistance, and ability to thrive on low-input systems.

3. Common diseases affecting livestock and their prevention; Vaccination schedules

Disease outbreaks can devastate livestock farms. Prevention, particularly through vaccination, is the most effective management strategy.

Common Livestock Diseases

• Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD): A highly contagious viral disease affecting cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, and pigs. Causes fever and blisters on the mouth and feet.
• Anthrax: A serious bacterial disease affecting all susceptible animals, including cattle and sheep. Often fatal.
• Black Quarter (BQ): A bacterial disease, mainly in cattle, causing lameness, fever, and swelling.
• Haemorrhagic Septicaemia (HS): A bacterial disease of cattle and buffalo, often fatal.
• Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR): A highly contagious viral disease of sheep and goats, causing fever, mouth sores, and diarrhea.
• Brucellosis: A bacterial disease in cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats that causes reproductive failure (abortions).

Prevention and Vaccination Schedules

Prevention involves biosecurity (controlling access to the farm), quarantine of new animals, proper hygiene, and strict vaccination schedules.