Effect of goat management practices on animal nutrition and the environment in Western Odisha, India

Abstract

India has a shortage of forage and feed for its estimated 535 million head of livestock. Nutrition is the most limiting factor for goats in India to fulfill their genetic potential. Most Indian goats are managed in extensive grazing systems and information about goat nutrition and management practices in India is scarce. Consequently, this study's objective was to identify how goat management practices impact goat health and the environment in Western Odisha. A nine-month goat observation experiment took place in the Kandhamal District of Odisha to observe the current livestock system and browsing behavior of goats. The methods utilized for goat observations were novel and suggest how other researchers could approach future grazing systems research. Digestible dry matter intake of forages selected by goats in the available pasturage was low compared to similar studies. There was a high proportion of non-native, invasive species selected by goats. Livestock management practices in combination with other human interventions that are disturbing forest and pastureland ecology are degrading available lands for grazing. To improve the productivity of grazing livestock and the condition of common property resources, investment must be made by government ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. D. J. Cherney's research group is based in the Animal Science Department of Cornell University. Dr. Cherney is an animal nutritionist with a unique ability to evaluate challenges that livestock experience with forages across a wide range of production systems. The group's research mainly focuses on identifying appropriate forage management to sustain high productivity while maintaining economic viability, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare. Several researchers have focused on improvements to forage utilization in developing countries by addressing potential improvements to laboratory or management systems to assess forage quality and ensure optimal consumption.

Seasonal Variations in Voluntary Intake and ApparentDigestibility of Forages by Goats in the Chinese Altai Mountains

“…Except for the early summer season of 2013, the length of grazing itineraries in a given season was not different between the two years; this may have been due to the fact that the goats grazed within the same larger area in both years. The mean walking distances of 8 to 13 km d −1 were only slightly shorter than the distances of 8 to 14 km d −1 reported for Arbas Cashmere goats in Inner Mongolia, China [38], and for goats in the southern Altai Mountains of Mongolia [31], but longer than the 4.7 to 10.2 km d −1 walking distances reported for goats from India [36] and for small ruminants grazing harvested fields in the cotton-growing zone of Xinjian [10], as well as of sheep grazing natural grasslands in Inner Mongolia, China [39]. Since the daily grazed area was derived from the itinerary length, interseasonal and interannual differences in the itineraries translated to differences in areas grazed, ranging from 27 to 60 ha per day on average.…”

“…Thereby, the spatiotemporal aspects of livestock movements are to a large extent governed by the availability, quality, and spatial distribution of forage resources [35]. In contrast to goats in Odisha, India, whose daily grazing itineraries closely varied around 6.3 km across seasons [36], the length of daily grazing routes in the present study varied between the seasons and the years. In the spring season of both 2013 and 2014, the daily routes were longer than in the early and late summer seasons, whereby forage offer was either higher or comparable between spring and the (early) summer season.…”