BreedingServicesfor
Small Dairy Farmers
Sharing the Indian Experience
C.T. Chacko
F. Schneider
C.T. Chacko
F. Schneider
embedding the discussion within the prevailing institutional and cultural en-
vironment of the developing countries, the authors have successfully ad-
dressed the issue of suitability of breeding technology for poor countries. In
that sense, the publication represents a milestone in taking forward the lit-
erature on advancing livestock production for the benefit of the poor. I hope
the practitioners and decision makers concerned with designing breeding
programmes will find it useful.
Vinod Ahuja
Associate Professor
Centre for Management in Agriculture
Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad
Preface
Better validation of indigenous domestic animal genetic resources is becoming
more important with regard to the potential of livestock for poverty alleviation
and income generation. It has been well established, that livestock resources
are more equitably distributed than other production resources, such as land
and capital. A large part of the rural smallholders are poor and depend on
livestock for their livelihood, whereby income by selling animal products (milk,
eggs, meat) is only one, though an important aspect.
The book, after an introductory chapter on global and Indian trends, sys-
tematically introduces the reader into the breed improvement theory and illus-
trates the theory with practical examples and case studies. The book banks on
Indian experience and within India predominantly on the Kerala experience.
“The Kerala programme with its systematic and holistic approach to livestock
development, is the most successful and most sustainable livestock project I know”
Dr. Samuel Jutzi, Director Animal Production and Health Division, FAO, dur-
ing his presentation on biodiversity in livestock, at the Swiss Federal Institute
of Technology (ETH), Zurich, Switzerland, at the occasion of the World Food
Day, October 14, 2004.
C.T. Chacko
Fritz Schneider
About the Authors
C.T. Chacko
C.T. Chacko was the Chief Executive of Kerala Livestock Development Board,
Kerala, India till 1999. After retirement he works as a consultant in livestock
development issues. While working with the Kerala Livestock Development
Board, he was associated with formulation, planning and implementation of
the cattle-breeding policy and the implementation of the field performance
recording programmes in many states in India. He has been instrumental in
the evolution and development of the Sunandini breed of India. He has held
many positions such as member of the advisory committee of post-graduate
students in animal production and animal breeding, Kerala Agricultural Uni-
versity, Kerala, India, member of the subgroup to prepare the national project
for cattle and buffalo breeding in India, Convenor of the expert committee to
formulate the breeding policy of Kerala, India, member of the state advisory
committee for livestock breeding, Uttar Pradesh, India. His publications in-
clude many research papers, which have appeared in national and interna-
tional journals. He has undertaken many missions for the Swiss Agency for
Development and Cooperation, India, World Bank, India, Swiss College of
Agriculture Zollikofen, Switzerland, National Dairy Development Board,
Anand, India and Intercooperation, New Delhi, India. He holds master’s de-
grees in cattle production from the University of Kerala, India and in Animal
Genetics and Breeding from the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
Fritz Schneider
Fritz Schneider studied Agronomy and Animal Science at the Swiss Federal
Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland and did post-graduate studies
in Animal Science at the Department of Animal Science, University of British
Columbia, Vancouver, Canada (Master of Science). He is Vice Director of the
Swiss College of Agriculture (SCA), Zollikofen, and Head of the Institute
SHLexpertise. SHLexpertise is the institute within SCA responsible for the
development of applied research and development, services and continuing
education. He is Professor for Tropical Animal Production Sciences and in
this function responsible for tropical animal breeding, animal nutrition, ani-
mal husbandry and animal economics. He has spent more than seven years
in India in various positions from breeding expert to chief project adviser
responsible for livestock and watershed projects within Swiss Agency for
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May 2005
Dr. Vinod Ahuja, Ahmedabad, India who wrote the foreword to the book, Dr.
Martin Menzi, Thun, Switzerland, Dr. Fritz Schmitz, Ittigen, Switzerland and
Dr. Markus Schneeberger, Langenthal, Switzerland who have reviewed the
various chapters of the book and provided immense support to improve its
content to the present form, Mr. Mathew C. Antony, Softscan Corporation,
Ernakulam, India for the assistance in developing the necessary software to
put the exercises in the right perspective, Mrs. Ana Maria Hintermann, Bern,
Switzerland who did the editing and page setting before submitting the manu-
script to the printers and publishers, Officers of the Kerala Livestock Develop-
ment Board, Kerala, India for assisting in taking many of the pictures, M.P.G.
Kurup, Bangalore, India for giving statistics on the livestock situation in India
and G.S. Nair, Trivandrum, India and Ms Margaret Majithia, New Delhi, India
for the English corrections.
Photographs
The photographs in the book including the cover page were supplied by:
Mr.Antonio Michael, Ernakulam, India, Mr.Theo Iff, Hinterkappelen, Switzer-
land, Mr. Walter Diener, Thunstetten, Switzerland. We express our sincere
gratitude to them.
Sponsors
The writing of the book would not have been possible but for the financial
support received from individuals and organisations listed below. We express
our deep gratitude to all, both for the financial as well as for the moral support.
Individuals
Mr. Walter Diener, Thunstetten, Switzerland, Dr. Hans Gujer, Zurich, Switzer-
land, Dr. Urs Küpfer, Bern, Switzerland, Dr. Hansueli Kupferschmied,
Neuchâtel, Switzerland, Dr. Martin Menzi, Thun, Switzerland, Dr. Andreas
Schneider, Wil SG, Switzerland, Mr. Willi von Siebenthal, Windisch, Switzer-
land and Mr. Peter Wiesmann, Kirchlindach, Switzerland.
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Institutions
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and Intercooperation
(IC) deserve special mention. SDC is the international development agency
as part of the ministry of foreign affairs of Switzerland and as such the nodal
agency for all Swiss supported livestock programmes in India. IC is a Swiss
foundation specialised in international and development cooperation. IC’s
principal working domains are natural resource management, rural economy,
local governance and civil society. IC is acting as implementing agency for
most livestock oriented programmes of SDC in India since 1983. SDC and IC,
via their common programme “Capitalisation of Livestock Programme Experi-
ence in India (CALPI), have agreed to make this book available to the relevant
departments, educational institutions and decision makers in India.