Breeding strategies for indigenous goat genetic resources among smallholder farmers in north - central Nigeria

摘要

Astudywascarriedoutusing520householdacrossthreestatesofBenue,NasarawaandPlateautocharacterizegoatproductionandbreedingobjectivetraitsinnorth-centralNigeria.Datawascollectedthroughparticipatoryruralappraisal(PRA)method,structuredquestionnaireandinterviewswereusedtodeterminetheproductivityoflocalgoats,breedingtraitspreferenceandfactorsusedtodecidewhichgoattokeepincommunalproductionsystem.ResultsobtainedindicatedthatWestAfricanDwarfgoatwasthemaingoatbreedrearedinthiszone.Matingwasnaturalanduncontrolled.Herdsizesrecordedwere8.48±1.20,11.71±0.61and7.12±1.11whilelittersizewas1.6±0.01,1.4±0.03and1.2±0.02forBenue,NasarawaandPlateauStatesrespectively.Fastgrowth,diseaseresistance,temperamentandmotheringabilitywererankedastheveryimportantattributesinallthecommunities.Coatcolourandbodyconformationwerereportedtobeoflittlevalueaspreferencetraits.Thegoatshavethepotentialtoproducegoodlittersizeandattainlowerweaningmortality.Thecommunalsmallholdergoatkeeperinthiszoneselectstheirbreedingstocksbasedonsomeadaptivetraitssuchasdiseaseresistance,andalsooninherenttraitssuchastemperament,motheringabilityandfastgrowthrate.Inbreedingrateestimatedusingstandardprocedure,amongthepopulationwaslowandindicationthatthegoatpopulationatthisregionisnotatrisk.Itcanbeconcludedthatthebreedingstrategyforthegoatissimilarinthisregion.Thefindingsinthisstudycanbeusedtodesignanappropriateprogrammeforimprovementandconservationofthisindigenousgoat.