Small ruminants form an integral and important component of the pattern of animal production in Asia. Both goats and sheep are widespread and a characteristic feature about their production is that they are essentially reared in a complexity of production systems on small farms where the emphasis is intensive crop production. The importance of small ruminants is primarily associated with their small size, which is significant and to the advantage of mankind for three important reasons: economic, managerial and biological (Devendra and Burns, 1983). Economic advantages include low initial investment and correspondingly smaller risk of loss from individual deaths. Managerial considerations favour their care by unpaid family labour and limited resource use for the supply of meat and milk in quantities suitable for immediate family consumption. Biological factors include possible preference over large ruminants, food and reproductive efficiency, and in turn, economic use of the available land for maximum product output in terms of meat, milk, fibre and skins from both species. In terms of animal ownership, goats and sheep are of medium to low importance in Asia (Devendra, 1983a), with usually small numbers (1–5 head) being characteristic.
The fact remains, however, that despite the wide importance and apparent advantages, both species have not been accorded adequate attention, compared for example to cattle development. Inadequate emphasis and development are reflected in both species, and especially goats, not making an impact on food production despite wide recognition of their value during the last decade. It is therefore pertinent to consider the opportunities for further developing both species in the context of their potential and future importance. The intent in this paper is to examine the present status of both species, factors concerned with maximising productivity from them, and the prospects for developing increased contribution with special reference to humid tropical Asia.
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Small ruminants form an integral and important component of the pattern of animal production in Asia. Both goats and sheep are widespread and a characteristic feature about their production is that they are essentially reared in a complexity of production systems on small farms where the emphasis is intensive crop production. The importance of small ruminants is primarily associated with their small size, which is significant and to the advantage of mankind for three important reasons: economic, managerial and biological (Devendra and Burns, 1983). Economic advantages include low initial investment and correspondingly smaller risk of loss from individual deaths. Managerial considerations favour their care by unpaid family labour and limited resource use for the supply of meat and milk in quantities suitable for immediate family consumption. Biological factors include possible preference over large ruminants, food and reproductive efficiency, and in turn, economic use of the available land for maximum product output in terms of meat, milk, fibre and skins from both species. In terms of animal ownership, goats and sheep are of medium to low importance in Asia (Devendra, 1983a), with usually small numbers (1–5 head) being characteristic.
The fact remains, however, that despite the wide importance and apparent advantages, both species have not been accorded adequate attention, compared for example to cattle development. Inadequate emphasis and development are reflected in both species, and especially goats, not making an impact on food production despite wide recognition of their value during the last decade. It is therefore pertinent to consider the opportunities for further developing both species in the context of their potential and future importance. The intent in this paper is to examine the present status of both species, factors concerned with maximising productivity from them, and the prospects for developing increased contribution with special reference to humid tropical Asia.
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