Increasing Small Ruminant Productivity in Semi-arid Areas: Proceedings of a Workshop held at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, Aleppo, Syria, 30 November to 3 December 1987

287 Pages·1988·8.35 MB·English

by  P. L. Pellet

INCREASING SMALL RUMINANT PRODUCTIVITY IN SEMI-ARID AREAS
Current Topics in Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science
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47. Increasing Small Ruminant Productivity in Semi·arid Areas, edited by E.F. Thomson and F.S. Thomson.
ISBN 0-89838·386-2
Increasing Small Ruminant Productivity
in Semi-arid Areas
Proceedings of a Workshop
held at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas,
Aleppo, Syria, 30 November to 3 December 1987
Edited by
E.F. THOMSON & F.S. THOMSON
International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas,
P.O. Box 5466, Aleppo, Syria
KLUWER ACADEMIC PUBLISHERS
DORDRECHT - BOSTON - LONDON
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Increasing sMall rUMinant productivity In semi-arid areas:
proceedings of a workshop held at the International Center for
Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas. Aleppo. Syria. NoveMber 30
to December 3. 1987 / E.F. ThoMson and F.S. ThoMson [editors].
p. cm. -- (Current topics In veterlRary medicine and animal
science; v. 47)
1. Sheep--Mlddle East--Congresses. 2. Sheep--Africa. North
-Congresses. 3. RUMinants--Middle East--Congresses. 4. RUMinants-
-Africa. North--Congresses. I. Thomson. E. F. (Euan F.)
II. Thomson. F. S. III. International Center for Agricultural
Research in the Dry Areas. IV. Series.
SF375.5.M628I53 1988
63S.3'00953--dc19 88-15550
CIP
ISBN-13: 978-94-010-7086-7 e-ISBN-13: 978-94-009-1317-2
DOl: 10.1007/978-94-009-1317-2
Published by Kluwer Academic Publishers,
P.O. Box 17, 3300 AA Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
Kluwer Academic Publishers incorporates
the publishing programmes of
Martinus Nijhoff, Dr W. Junk, D. Reidel, and MTP Press.
Sold and distributed in the U.S.A. and Canada
by Kluwer Academic Publishers,
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In all other countries, sold and distributed
by Kluwer Academic Publishers Group,
P.O. Box 322, 3300 AH Dordrecht, The Netherlands
All rights reserved
© 1988 bv ICARDA.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1s t edition 1988
No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or utilized in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the copyright owners.
E.F. Thomson and F.S. Thomson (eds), Increasing Small Ruminant Productivity in Semi-arid Areas
© 1988 [CARDA. ISBN978-94-010-7086-7
Table of Contents
Foreword VII
Acknowledgements IX
I. Livestock Systems and Nutrition 1
The Contribution of Livestock Products to Human Dietary Needs with
Special Reference to North Africa and West Asia
P.L. Pellet and V.R. Young 3
The Importance of Barley in Food Production and Demand m West
Asia and North Africa
K. Somel 27
Research Strategies for Development: Improving Sheep and Goat Pro
duction in Developing Countries
D.F. Nygaard and P. Amir 37
Increasing Feed Resources for Small Ruminants in the Mediterranean
Basin
P.S. Cocks and E.F. Thomson 51
A Comparison of Grazing and Browsing Ruminants in the Use of Feed
Resources
P.J. Van Soest 67
Improving Livestock Production from Straw-Based Diets
H.B. Perdok, R.A. Leng, S.H. Bird, G. Habib and
M. Van Houtert 81
II. Breeding 93
Breeding Strategies for Small Ruminants in Arid and Semi-Arid Areas
G.E. Bradford and Y.M. Berger 95
A Strategy for the Exploitation of Sheep Genotypes for Improved Flock
Performance
J.B. Owen 111
Sheep and Goats: Their Relative Potential for Milk and Meat Produc-
tion in Semi-Arid Environments
J. Steinbach 123
New Technologies for Animal Improvement and Developing Countries
R.B. Land 137
v
vi
Selection for Lamb Growth in Libyan Barbary Sheep
R.J. Lightfoot 145
The Awassi Sheep Breeding Project in Syria
R. Kassem 155
Past Experiences of Sheep Improvement in Egypt and Future Directions
A.M. Aboul-Naga and A.M. EI-Serafy 165
Genetic Improvement of Sheep in Turkey
B. Ankarali 177
Sheep Breeding in Jordan and a Proposed Awassi Breed Improvement
Programme
LG.H. Goddard 181
Genetic Improvement of Sheep in Cyprus by Selection and/or Cross
breeding
A.P. Mavrogenis 189
III. Health 197
Studying Husbandry and Health of Awassi Sheep in Bedouin Flocks:
Evaluation of Methodology Using Initial Results
J.M. King, S.R. McArthur, D.l. Pike and A.l. Woods 199
Emerging Bacterial Diseases that can Affect Small Ruminant Production
A.J. Wilsmore and E.T. EI-Masannat 213
The Economic Significance and Control of Small Ruminant Viruses in
North Africa and West Asia
R.P. Kitching 225
Controlling Livestock Diseases in the Tropics by Breeding: A Perspec
tive
O.B. Kasali, B.C. Njau and T. Bekele 237
Impact on Productivity and Epidemiology of Gastrointestinal and
Lungworm Parasites in Sheep in Morocco
A. Dakkak and H. Ouhelli 243
Resistance of Sheep and Goats to Helminth Infections: A Genetic Basis
L. Gruner and 1. Cabaret 257
The Potential Use of Vaccines or Genetically Resistant Animals in the
Control of Helminthiasis
G.M. Urquhart 267
Mechanisms of Immunity to Gastrointestinal Nematodes of Sheep
W.D. Smith 275
Recommendations 287
.List of Authors and Participants 291
E.F Thomson and FS. Thomson (eds), Increasing Small Ruminant Productivity in Semi-arid Areas
© 1988 ICARDA. ISBN 978-94-010-7086-7
Foreword
Livestock production represents about 30% of the agricultural revenue of the
countries of West Asia and North Africa and livestock products are the main
output from areas receiving less than 300 mm annual rainfall. The 300 million
small ruminants account for a large proportion of this output and represent a
significant capital reserve for the small farmers who predominate in these
countries. The wheat-based diet of the rural and urban population is balanced
with milk products and meat which provide essential amino acids, minerals,
and vitamins.
High population growth rates and rising incomes are together responsible
for increasing demand for livestock products. But the countries of West Asia
and North Africa are unable to meet these demands from domestic produc
tion. Imports of meat, dairy products, and coarse grains for livestock are
already high and are projected to increase significantly by the year 2000. Thus
there is an urgent need to promote domestic feed production and increase
output of livestock products by using more efficient livestock, larger numbers,
or both.
The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas
(ICARDA), one of l3 Centers of the Consultative Group for International
Agricultural Research (CGIAR), was established in 1977_ Its main aim is to
increase food production using sustainable farming systems, with a focus on
improved crop varieties and management, farm resource management, and
pasture and forage production_ Because of the important role of small rumi
nants in the agriculture of North Africa and West Asia and the increasing
demands for livestock products and feeds, ICARDA wishes to strengthen its
research on small ruminants_ It therefore convened a workshop in late 1987 at
which leading international and regional experts helped to identify priority
areas for research on small ruminants_ These proceedings are a result of that
workshop_
Overview papers were presented to give a background to the workshop and
disciplinary groups, which focused on the interactions between disciplines,
formulated recommendations for future research_ Hopefully this workshop
will stimulate further multi-disciplinary planning meetings in the West Asian
and North African region_
G, Jan Koopman
Deputy Director General
(International Cooperation)
ICARDA, Aleppo
March 1988
Vll
E.F Thomson and FS. Thomson (eds), Increasing Small Ruminant Productivity in Semi-arid Areas
(j) 1988 ICARDA. ISBN978-94-OJO-7086-7
Acknowledgements
The workshop organizer is indebted to the numerous colleagues who helped
arrange the workshop and to the participants who contributed papers and
made the discussions so lively and constructive. Aida Battikha and Christina
Materon deserve special thanks for their help with the preparation of the
manuscript and illustrations. Thanks are also due to ICARDA for allocating
scarce funds to finance the workshop and the printing of the proceedings.
Euan F. Thomson
VVorkshop Organizer
March 1988
IX
Part I
Livestock Systems and Nutrition
E.F Thomson and FS. Thomson (eds), Increasing Small Ruminant Productivity in Semi-arid Areas
(j) 1988 ICARDA. ISBN978-94-OJO-7086-7
The Contribution of Livestock Products to Human Dietary Needs
with Special Reference to North Africa and West Asia
P.L. Pellet and V.R. Young
Global aspects
As wealth increases, more food is consumed and there are major changes in
the pattern of the foods selected. These changes were tabulated by Perisse et
a1. (1969) who demonstrated that the proportion of dietary energy intake from
fats rose steeply with income while that from total carbohydrates declined.
Simultaneously, the proportion of the total protein intake from animal sources
increased. Subsequent observations confirm and extend these earlier conclu
sions.
It is no longer appropriate to limit considerations of the factors determining
nutritional status only to the food supply and nutrients (Pellett 1983a; 1987).
Following the demonstration of the synergism between nutrition and infection
in the 1960s (Scrimshaw et al. 1968) and the adoption of more consciously
political approaches in the 1970s, nutritionists have realised that both the
basic (socioeconomic and political) and the immediate (food intake and
health) causes of hunger and malnutrition should be addressed.
Some of the health, wealth, and dietary data from 130 countries are
summarized in Table 1. As wealth (indicated by gross national product
(GNP» increases, infant (IMR) and under-5 mortality rates (MR) decline, as
does the prevalence of low birth weight (LBW) infants. The dietary changes
accompanying these health changes are increases in the dietary energy availa
bility in relation to requirement, the total and animal protein intake per day,
the percentage of animal protein in relation to total protein, and the total fat
and retinol intakes. Perisse and Polacchi (1980) proposed that retinol intake
was one of the indicators most sensitive to changes in economic status but,
from our analysis, animal protein seems to be equaJ.ly sensitive. Other indica
tors associated with differences in economic status are access to clean drinking
water, availability of health services, and adult literacy (Pellett 1987).
A further elaboration of these relationships is shown in Table 2 where a
cross-country correlation matrix between selected health, economic, and di
etary data is presented. These results are derived from data from the same 130
countries as in Table 1. As GNP increases, child and infant mortality rates
and the percentage of low birth weight infants decline and life expectancy
increases. Since total dietary energy, protein, animal protein, and fat availabil
ities are highly correlated with wealth, there are also significant correlations
between infant and child mortality rates and protein, animal protein, and fat