Dear all,
Well expressed comments and advice by David and Baitsi on the requirements of genetic improvement programs to be effective. There are no sustainable short-cuts that replace the basic tools of animal breeding: defining relevant breeding objectives, livestock recording (at least to cover nucleus herds), genetic evaluation and use of selected breeding stock. We made a study in collaboration with ILRI and FAO in SSA that clearly showed the importance of infrastructure and higher education to support development of relevant policies and breeding programs. Without national/regional support of these activities nothing will happen and the risk increases that valuable genetic resources are lost and replaced by less suited animals. National/regional stakeholders need to be more active in policy development and providing resources for needed infrastructure.
Regards
Jan Philipsson
Dept. of Animal Breeding & Genetics
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
e-mail: Jan.Philipsson@slu.se
-----Original Message-----
From: DAD-Net-SouthernAfrica@dgroups.org [mailto:DAD-Net-SouthernAfrica@dgroups.org] On Behalf Of bpodisi@ccardesa.org
Sent: den 4 juli 2018 11:24
To: DAD-Net Southern Africa
Cc: 'Christopher Tsopito'; wboitumelo@bca.bw; kraphaka@gov.bw; 'Edward Musiwa Nengomasha'; 'S.J. Nsoso'; kdzama@sun.ac.za; 'Kgosietsile Phillemon-Motsu'; 'Loungo M. Phiri'; paul.boettcher@fao.org; 'Mary Mbole-Kariuki'; 'Wameotsile Mahabile'; pkgwatal@bca.bw; 'John Moreki'; umoreri@gov.bw; cmapiye@sun.ac.za; 'tirelo bakae'; 'DAD-Net Southern Africa'; gkapele@gov.bw; kdzama@sun.ac.za; 'G Thobokwe'; 'Victor Mlambo'; 'Monty Chiepe'; omadibel@bca.bw; 'nnyaladzi batisani'; JoelM@daff.gov.za; 'Andrew Magadlela'; 'Domingos Gove'; 'Letlhogile Modisa'; smwale@ccardesa.org; 'ccardesa'; 'Foerch, Wiebke GIZ BW'; 'Beerhalter, Sarah GIZ BW'; 'Mtunji, Nathaniel GIZ BW'; norman@arc.agric.za
Subject: [dad-net_southernafrica] RE: [dad-net] Genetic improvement programmes ?
Dear All,
I concur with the observations made by Prof Notter below. Long term selection programs are hard to come by in Africa and the few that are there are poorly supported and struggling to continue. This is a tragedy for some of the programmes for indigenous breeds which are now being wiped out by neglect, unstructured crossbreeding and replacement with aggressively "marketed" exotics some of which are not necessarily the best suited to the production systems they are being imposed upon. Among other causes, this has resulted in the decline of the national herds as productivity has not improved much. Meanwhile, the demand for animal protein is on an upward trajectory.
Only national stakeholders are better placed to reflect soberly and prioritise these resources and their respective programmes instead of leaving them to donor interventions alone.
The story of the Nguni in South Africa is one remarkable success story of how mindsets can be changed by investing in promoting a breed based on its useful traits and putting in place national improvement programme. We need a diversity of breeds to meet the different needs. This is possible where you have an environment that nurtures the existence of breeder societies which is still largely lacking or very weak in most of the African countries.
Thanks,
Baitsi K. Podisi
SADC Sub-Regional Focal Point Coordinator for AnGRs
Research & Advisory Services Thematic Coordinator
Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research & Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA)
Ground Floor, Red Brick Building,
Plot 4701 Station Exit Road
Private Bag 00357
Gaborone, Botswana
+267 3914997 Ext 211
+267 755 09 755 (mobile)
Fax +267 316 7211
www.ccardesa.org
| | |
For sharing and accessing regional agricultural information, visit the Southern African Agricultural Information and Knowledge System (SAAIKS) http://saaiks.net
-----Original Message-----
From: DAD-Net@dgroups.org [mailto:DAD-Net@dgroups.org] On Behalf Of drnotter@vt.edu
Sent: 03 July 2018 16:20
To: Domestic Animal Diversity Network (DAD-Net) <DAD-Net@dgroups.org>
Subject: [dad-net] Genetic improvement programmes ?
In response to Dr. Leperre's insights regarding " why are there so few genetic improvement programmes in developing countries", it seems to me that one limitation is the lack of national capacity to collect and analyze livestock performance data and to distribute summaries of the results to farmers in a usable form. Sustained genetic improvement requires monitoring animal performance over multiple generations (with easily translates to decades for a species like cattle). A vision of the development and breeding objectives for the nation is likewise required, with staff who are committed and empowered to act on that vision.
Some sort of centralized capacity to plan, implement, and evaluate livestock improvement programs, independent of the pressures of donors, exporters, and politicians is needed. The basic elements of livestock improvement are still performance recording, selection and crossbreeding.
All the other stuff (ET, genomics, AI, etc.) does not replace these basic elements, but instead simply allows them to have greater impacts.
I likewise fear that the "modern" agricultural university (and not just in developing countries) is more interested in faculty with cutting edge expertise in high-tech methods, to the detriment of applied livestock improvement. The integration of various methods to create sustainable, holistic, and commercially impactful genetic improvement that will improve food security then becomes less important than the ability to claim expertise the most modern methods. I understand that progress in the discipline of animal breeding and genetics is a valid goal of academia, but the capacity to take the methods to the field remains essential and, apparently, increasingly overlooked.
David Notter
--
"Travel light in life, take only what you need; a loving family, good friends, simple pleasures, someone to love, someone to love you, enough to eat, enough to wear, and a little more than enough to drink, for thirst is a dangerous thing."
David R. Notter
Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences
3090 Litton-Reaves Hall (*degree.jobs.gave*) Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University Blacksburg, VA 24061-0306 U.S.A.
Phone: 1(US)-540-231-5135
Fax: 1(US)-540-231-3010
E-mail: drnotter@vt.edu
__________
__________
Implementing the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources - http://www.fao.org/ag/angr.html
Domestic Animal Diversity Information System - DAD-IS - http://www.fao.org/dad-is/
Animal Genetic Resources - an international journal - http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=AGR
---
När du skickar e-post till SLU så innebär detta att SLU behandlar dina personuppgifter. För att läsa mer om hur detta går till, klicka här <https://www.slu.se/om-slu/kontakta-slu/personuppgifter/>
E-mailing SLU will result in SLU processing your personal data. For more information on how this is done, click here <https://www.slu.se/en/about-slu/contact-slu/personal-data/>
Well expressed comments and advice by David and Baitsi on the requirements of genetic improvement programs to be effective. There are no sustainable short-cuts that replace the basic tools of animal breeding: defining relevant breeding objectives, livestock recording (at least to cover nucleus herds), genetic evaluation and use of selected breeding stock. We made a study in collaboration with ILRI and FAO in SSA that clearly showed the importance of infrastructure and higher education to support development of relevant policies and breeding programs. Without national/regional support of these activities nothing will happen and the risk increases that valuable genetic resources are lost and replaced by less suited animals. National/regional stakeholders need to be more active in policy development and providing resources for needed infrastructure.
Regards
Jan Philipsson
Dept. of Animal Breeding & Genetics
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
e-mail: Jan.Philipsson@slu.se
-----Original Message-----
From: DAD-Net-SouthernAfrica@dgroups.org [mailto:DAD-Net-SouthernAfrica@dgroups.org] On Behalf Of bpodisi@ccardesa.org
Sent: den 4 juli 2018 11:24
To: DAD-Net Southern Africa
Cc: 'Christopher Tsopito'; wboitumelo@bca.bw; kraphaka@gov.bw; 'Edward Musiwa Nengomasha'; 'S.J. Nsoso'; kdzama@sun.ac.za; 'Kgosietsile Phillemon-Motsu'; 'Loungo M. Phiri'; paul.boettcher@fao.org; 'Mary Mbole-Kariuki'; 'Wameotsile Mahabile'; pkgwatal@bca.bw; 'John Moreki'; umoreri@gov.bw; cmapiye@sun.ac.za; 'tirelo bakae'; 'DAD-Net Southern Africa'; gkapele@gov.bw; kdzama@sun.ac.za; 'G Thobokwe'; 'Victor Mlambo'; 'Monty Chiepe'; omadibel@bca.bw; 'nnyaladzi batisani'; JoelM@daff.gov.za; 'Andrew Magadlela'; 'Domingos Gove'; 'Letlhogile Modisa'; smwale@ccardesa.org; 'ccardesa'; 'Foerch, Wiebke GIZ BW'; 'Beerhalter, Sarah GIZ BW'; 'Mtunji, Nathaniel GIZ BW'; norman@arc.agric.za
Subject: [dad-net_southernafrica] RE: [dad-net] Genetic improvement programmes ?
Dear All,
I concur with the observations made by Prof Notter below. Long term selection programs are hard to come by in Africa and the few that are there are poorly supported and struggling to continue. This is a tragedy for some of the programmes for indigenous breeds which are now being wiped out by neglect, unstructured crossbreeding and replacement with aggressively "marketed" exotics some of which are not necessarily the best suited to the production systems they are being imposed upon. Among other causes, this has resulted in the decline of the national herds as productivity has not improved much. Meanwhile, the demand for animal protein is on an upward trajectory.
Only national stakeholders are better placed to reflect soberly and prioritise these resources and their respective programmes instead of leaving them to donor interventions alone.
The story of the Nguni in South Africa is one remarkable success story of how mindsets can be changed by investing in promoting a breed based on its useful traits and putting in place national improvement programme. We need a diversity of breeds to meet the different needs. This is possible where you have an environment that nurtures the existence of breeder societies which is still largely lacking or very weak in most of the African countries.
Thanks,
Baitsi K. Podisi
SADC Sub-Regional Focal Point Coordinator for AnGRs
Research & Advisory Services Thematic Coordinator
Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research & Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA)
Ground Floor, Red Brick Building,
Plot 4701 Station Exit Road
Private Bag 00357
Gaborone, Botswana
+267 3914997 Ext 211
+267 755 09 755 (mobile)
Fax +267 316 7211
www.ccardesa.org
| | |
For sharing and accessing regional agricultural information, visit the Southern African Agricultural Information and Knowledge System (SAAIKS) http://saaiks.net
-----Original Message-----
From: DAD-Net@dgroups.org [mailto:DAD-Net@dgroups.org] On Behalf Of drnotter@vt.edu
Sent: 03 July 2018 16:20
To: Domestic Animal Diversity Network (DAD-Net) <DAD-Net@dgroups.org>
Subject: [dad-net] Genetic improvement programmes ?
In response to Dr. Leperre's insights regarding " why are there so few genetic improvement programmes in developing countries", it seems to me that one limitation is the lack of national capacity to collect and analyze livestock performance data and to distribute summaries of the results to farmers in a usable form. Sustained genetic improvement requires monitoring animal performance over multiple generations (with easily translates to decades for a species like cattle). A vision of the development and breeding objectives for the nation is likewise required, with staff who are committed and empowered to act on that vision.
Some sort of centralized capacity to plan, implement, and evaluate livestock improvement programs, independent of the pressures of donors, exporters, and politicians is needed. The basic elements of livestock improvement are still performance recording, selection and crossbreeding.
All the other stuff (ET, genomics, AI, etc.) does not replace these basic elements, but instead simply allows them to have greater impacts.
I likewise fear that the "modern" agricultural university (and not just in developing countries) is more interested in faculty with cutting edge expertise in high-tech methods, to the detriment of applied livestock improvement. The integration of various methods to create sustainable, holistic, and commercially impactful genetic improvement that will improve food security then becomes less important than the ability to claim expertise the most modern methods. I understand that progress in the discipline of animal breeding and genetics is a valid goal of academia, but the capacity to take the methods to the field remains essential and, apparently, increasingly overlooked.
David Notter
--
"Travel light in life, take only what you need; a loving family, good friends, simple pleasures, someone to love, someone to love you, enough to eat, enough to wear, and a little more than enough to drink, for thirst is a dangerous thing."
David R. Notter
Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences
3090 Litton-Reaves Hall (*degree.jobs.gave*) Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University Blacksburg, VA 24061-0306 U.S.A.
Phone: 1(US)-540-231-5135
Fax: 1(US)-540-231-3010
E-mail: drnotter@vt.edu
__________
__________
Implementing the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources - http://www.fao.org/ag/angr.html
Domestic Animal Diversity Information System - DAD-IS - http://www.fao.org/dad-is/
Animal Genetic Resources - an international journal - http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=AGR
---
När du skickar e-post till SLU så innebär detta att SLU behandlar dina personuppgifter. För att läsa mer om hur detta går till, klicka här <https://www.slu.se/om-slu/kontakta-slu/personuppgifter/>
E-mailing SLU will result in SLU processing your personal data. For more information on how this is done, click here <https://www.slu.se/en/about-slu/contact-slu/personal-data/>
