Strategies for sustainable use of indigenous cattle genetic resources in southern Africa
Date
2019-11-12
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MDPI
Abstract
Indigenous cattle breeds are the most important livestock species in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region owing to their role in human food, nutrition, income, and social security. Despite the role of these breeds in the household and national economies, they are currently underutilised, their productivity remains low, and populations are faced with extinction. In addition, there are insufficient measures taken to secure their present and future value. The current review highlights strategies for sustainable use of indigenous cattle genetic resources in the region, including the use of novel production and marketing practices, women and youth empowerment, and development of the appropriate capacity building, legislative, and policy structures. At present, the lack of coordination among the different stakeholders still poses a challenge to the implementation of these strategies. To this end, partnerships, collaboration, and stakeholders’ participation are recommended to effectively implement strategies for sustainable use of indigenous cattle breeds.
Description
CITATION: Mapiye, C., et al., 2019. Strategies for Sustainable Use of Indigenous Cattle Genetic Resources in Southern Africa. Diversity, 11(11). doi:10.3390/d11110214.
The original publication is available at https://www.mdpi.com/journal/diversity
The original publication is available at https://www.mdpi.com/journal/diversity
Keywords
Food security -- Africa, Southern, Indigenous cattle -- Breeding -- Africa, Southern, Genetic diversity, Southern African Development Community (SADC), Sustainable use, Indigenous cattle -- Genetics -- Economic aspects
Citation
Mapiye, C., et al., 2019. Strategies for Sustainable Use of Indigenous Cattle Genetic Resources in Southern Africa. Diversity, 11(11). doi:10.3390/d11110214.