Community-Based Management of Animal Genetic Resources (AnGR): Constraints and Prospects of AnGR Conservation in the Tropics

摘要

This paper reviews the constraints and prospects of community-based management of farm Animal Genetic Resources (AnGR). AnGR encapsulates all activities that ensure dynamism to withstand socio-cultural and environmental changes, thereby providing a better understanding of AnGR via characterization and documentation. Three broad reasons for conservation include economic, scientific and socio-cultural values. Conservation methods revealed two broad techniques "in situ and ex situ" which are underpinned by in vivo and in vitro principles. Rural poverty, environmental policy, urbanization and industrialization and crop production are averred as constraints of AnGR conservation. However, current global strategy, involvement of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), increasing food demand, rising need for marginal area utilization and campaign for the adoption and implementation of the sections of the Conservation Act which provides for the conservation of threatened breeds/strains are some of the prospects of conservation of AnGR. It is concluded that the most rational and sustainable way to conserve livestock genetic resources is to improve their competitiveness through sustainable breed improvement programmes (i.e. conservation through use). To this end, community or village-based selective breeding schemes with full participation of farmers appear to be the best option to start with especially in Nigeria, Sub-Saharan Africa.