Constraints in Feeding and Breeding Practices of Goat Rearing in Mahoba District, Bundelkhand Region, Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

Goat rearing is basic for poverty alleviation and an integral part of the livelihood security of rural families in India, especially in arid, semi-arid, hilly and tribal areas where maintainability of the other livestock species is questionable. The current study was carried out in Mahoba district, which is the least developed with respect to livestock and specially goats and aims to know the problem faced by goat keepers in feeding, health and marketing. Information was obtained from 120 respondents in four villages with the application of a structured interview schedule; analyzed by frequency and percentage procedures. Price fluctuating feed and fodder (81.66%), shrinkage of grazing land (79.16%) and non-availability of dry fodder (73.33%) were the major feeding constraints identified. Regarding the health constraints, non-availability of breeding stock (80.00%) was identified as the most serious problem followed by predator menace (78.33%), poor vaccination coverage (76.66%) and absence of health services (74.16%). Market Constraints: the dominant source of marketing constraint was collusive trade practices (84.16%), followed by price fluctuation (80.00%) and lack of access to market price information (78.33%). These results indicate that there are major constraints in the input supply, veterinary health services and the marketing channels faced by the goat rearers of Mahoba district. These issues can be ameliorated through sustainable interventions, including feed subsidy schemes, grazing land conservation, strengthening of veterinary services, introduction of vaccination programs, promotion of cooperative marketing, as well as market regulation, so as to effectively increase goat production, develop farmer income and livelihood security in the region.