scholarly journals Sensing solutions for improving the performance, health and wellbeing of small ruminants

2020 ◽  
Vol 87 (S1) ◽  
pp. 34-46
Author(s):  
Gerardo Caja ◽  
Andreia Castro-Costa ◽  
Ahmed A.K. Salama ◽  
Joan Oliver ◽  
Mario Baratta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Technologies ◽  
Small Ruminant ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Small Ruminants ◽  
Dairy Goats ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Economic Barriers ◽  
Multiple Sensor ◽  
Large Animals ◽  
Research Initiatives

AbstractDiversity of production systems and specific socio-economic barriers are key reasons explaining why the implementation of new technologies in small ruminants, despite being needed and beneficial for farmers, is harder than in other livestock species. There are, however, helpful peculiarities where small ruminants are concerned: the compulsory use of electronic identification created a unique scenario in Europe in which all small ruminant breeding stock became searchable by appropriate sensing solutions, and the largest small ruminant population in the world is located in Asia, close to the areas producing new technologies. Notwithstanding, only a few research initiatives and literature reviews have addressed the development of new technologies in small ruminants. This Research Reflection focuses on small ruminants (with emphasis on dairy goats and sheep) and reviews in a non-exhaustive way the basic concepts, the currently available sensor solutions and the structure and elements needed for the implementation of sensor-based husbandry decision support. Finally, some examples of results obtained using several sensor solutions adapted from large animals or newly developed for small ruminants are discussed. Significant room for improvement is recognized and a large number of multiple-sensor solutions are expected to be developed in the relatively near future.

scholarly journals Assessment of water source availability and quality for small ruminant consumption in the Northern Badia region of Jordan

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1073-1082
Author(s):  
J. Al-Khaza'leh ◽  
A. Abdelqader ◽  
M. Abuajamieh ◽  
F. M. F. Hayajneh
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Small Ruminant ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Small Ruminants ◽  
Microbiological Quality ◽  
Water Source ◽  
Water Quality Monitoring ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Main Concern ◽  
Study Region

Background and Aim: Water is the most important nutrient for the production of healthy livestock. Water scarcity bottlenecks livestock production in arid and semi-arid regions, particularly during the dry season. This study aimed to assess water availability and quality for small ruminants, and to identify major challenges of meeting their water requirements in two major small ruminant production systems in Jordan. Materials and Methods: Transhumant and sedentary production systems in the Northern Badia region of Jordan were the focus of this study. A questionnaire was distributed to 120 sheep and goat farmers (62 transhumant farmers and 58 sedentary farmers) and a water quality assessment was completed. Results: Results showed that the two production systems varied their water source use seasonally. Water provision was perceived as one of the major constraints for Bedouins, particularly during the dry season in transhumant production systems, when longer distances to water sources and the high costs of fetching water daily aggravated the problem. The mean distance and travel times to the boreholes were less in the sedentary system. Watering frequency was significantly lower in the transhumant system compared to the sedentary system (p<0.05). Although the values of water quality parameters complied with guidelines for livestock consumption, low water quality was the main concern expressed by some of the survey households. Conclusion: Technical support to properly design, manage, and rehabilitate surface water harvesting systems is required for the sustainable use of water resources in the study region. Moreover, systematic water quality monitoring is necessary to ensure its suitability for livestock use. Further investigations on the microbiological quality of water and its effect on the health and performance of livestock are recommended.

scholarly journals Production systems and economics of sheep husbandry in southern Albania

2011 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 1167-1176
Author(s):  
J. Mavromati ◽  
Z. Gjeta ◽  
E. Mavromati ◽  
V. Kolaneci ◽  
A. Molla
Keyword(s):  
Small Ruminant ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Small Ruminants ◽  
Economic Assessment ◽  
Local Market ◽  
Labor Costs ◽  
Gross Margin ◽  
Livestock Sector ◽  
Small Livestock ◽  
Intensive System

Small ruminants in Albania seem to have a great importance within the livestock sector. The small ruminants' populations count almost 2.7 million heads, out of which 1.8 million are sheep. The estimated value of the commercialized small livestock population is about 35 million Euros. The total value of the small ruminant population is estimated at 140 million Euros. More than 1.5 million heads of small ruminants are consumed each year in the local market. Import of small ruminant?s meat was at a level of 599 ton/year (2010 data). This study aimed the assessment of the production systems and economics of sheep husbandry in the southern regions of Albania. The different husbandry systems employed (transhumant, non transhumant, semi-intensive) showed only slight differences in terms of outputs, but not the expected differences regarding inputs (feeds) and corresponding costs (semi-intensive system). The economic assessment demonstrates very useful and interesting results. Overall Gross Margin per ewe and lambs at weaning was in the area of 6,369.00 ALL (1 Euro=136 Albanian Lek, ALL), the range of GM was enormous between different farms (3,042.6 ALL - 11,322.4 ALL), mainly caused by the large differences in feeding and labor costs per ewe.

scholarly journals Sustainability os small ruminant population on the Adja Plateau (South Benin)

1994 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-76
Author(s):  
A. Van Den Broek ◽  
I.T. Gbégo
Keyword(s):  
Oil Palm ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Small Ruminant ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Small Ruminants ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Feed Production ◽  
Animal Feeding ◽  
On Farm

Since 1986 the RAMR project (Recherche Appliquee en Milieu Reel) has conducted on-farm research on the Adja Plateau in Mono Province (South Benin). In this article, technical and socio-economic aspects of small ruminant production systems on the Adja Plateau are described. Monitoring of small ruminant flocks showed that about 25% of the small ruminants were sold annually. Export of nutrients as a result of the sale of animals (85 g N. 23 g P. 12 g K and 46 g Ca per hectare) was low compared with export through crop production. In-depth studies at village level showed that farmers mainly collected oil palm leaves, constituting 75% of the small ruminant rations, to feed their animals. Nutrients in collected oil palm leaves represented a substantial fraction (about 10%) of available nutrients in fields under oil palm. Proposals for future research on small ruminant production systems have to contribute to the sustainability of farming systems. Emphasis will be put on animal feeding and feed production integrating small ruminant and crop production.

SMALL RUMINANT PRODUCTION IN TWO MIXED-FARMING SYSTEMS OF SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA: STATUS AND PROSPECTS FOR IMPROVEMENT

2008 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 399-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. LEGESSE ◽  
G. ABEBE ◽  
M. SIEGMUND-SCHULTZE ◽  
A. VALLE ZÁRATE
Keyword(s):  
Small Ruminant ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Small Ruminants ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Southern Ethiopia ◽  
Cash Income ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Mixed Farming ◽  
Entry Points

SUMMARYSmall ruminants are an integral part of mixed-farming systems throughout southern Ethiopia. Yet, they have received little research attention or institutional support. Characterizing the existing small ruminant production systems and analysing their production constraints are important tools to diagnose the status and trends of the systems, and thus to identify areas for future interventions. A survey was conducted between April and July 2004 in the Adilo and Kofele areas of the southern mixed-farming systems of Ethiopia to explore reasons for keeping small ruminants and to evaluate the existing status of and the prospects for the small ruminant sector. Additional information was obtained during discussions with key informants who had experience of small ruminant keeping. Small ruminants fill several roles in the study area. However, the principal purpose of keeping sheep and goats was to generate cash income. Sheep milk consumption was widespread around Kofele unlike most agricultural systems in the country. Nearly all respondents in Adilo reported fattening their sheep before sale, while such a practice was uncommon in Kofele. Informal insurance schemes were evolving among the sheep keepers in Adilo, and these can be considered as entry points for future interventions. The common problem identified from both individual interviews and group discussions was feed shortage. The identification of alternative feed resources and strategic feeding management might be options for development. Small ruminant disease was the major constraint in Kofele, where marshy areas are increasingly assigned for grazing in the rainy season as suitable land is more and more used for cropping. The growing demand for meat from small ruminants, the improving transportation infrastructure and the experience of farmers in small ruminant keeping are providing opportunities to enhance the contribution of the sector. A thorough monitoring of the productive and economic performance of small ruminants is required to capture the full picture of their contribution thereby directing possible intervention areas to maximize benefits to the farmers.

Emerging Industrial Revolution: Symbiosis of Industry 4.0 and Circular Economy: The Role of Universities

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 505-525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seeram Ramakrishna ◽  
Alfred Ngowi ◽  
Henk De Jager ◽  
Bankole O. Awuzie
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Fourth Industrial Revolution ◽  
New Jobs

Growing consumerism and population worldwide raises concerns about society’s sustainability aspirations. This has led to calls for concerted efforts to shift from the linear economy to a circular economy (CE), which are gaining momentum globally. CE approaches lead to a zero-waste scenario of economic growth and sustainable development. These approaches are based on semi-scientific and empirical concepts with technologies enabling 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) and 6Rs (reuse, recycle, redesign, remanufacture, reduce, recover). Studies estimate that the transition to a CE would save the world in excess of a trillion dollars annually while creating new jobs, business opportunities and economic growth. The emerging industrial revolution will enhance the symbiotic pursuit of new technologies and CE to transform extant production systems and business models for sustainability. This article examines the trends, availability and readiness of fourth industrial revolution (4IR or industry 4.0) technologies (for example, Internet of Things [IoT], artificial intelligence [AI] and nanotechnology) to support and promote CE transitions within the higher education institutional context. Furthermore, it elucidates the role of universities as living laboratories for experimenting the utility of industry 4.0 technologies in driving the shift towards CE futures. The article concludes that universities should play a pivotal role in engendering CE transitions.

scholarly journals The role of the European small ruminant dairy sector in stabilising global temperatures: lessons from GWP* warming-equivalent emission metrics

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Agustin del Prado ◽  
Pablo Manzano ◽  
Guillermo Pardo
Keyword(s):  
Small Ruminant ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Small Ruminants ◽  
Feed Additives ◽  
Dairy Goat ◽  
Emission Rates ◽  
Animal Products ◽  
Ghg Reduction ◽  
Mitigate Climate Change ◽  
Climate Neutrality

Abstract Recent calls advocate that a huge reduction in the consumption of animal products (including dairy) is essential to mitigate climate change and stabilise global warming below the 1.5 and 2°C targets. The Paris Agreement states that to stabilise temperatures we must reach a balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the second half of this century. Consequently, many countries have adopted overall GHG reduction targets (e.g. EU, at least 40% by 2030 compared to 1990). However, using conventional metric-equivalent emissions (CO2-e GWP100) as the basis to account for emissions does not result in capturing the effect on atmospheric warming of changing emission rates from short-lived GHG (e.g. methane: CH4), which are the main source of GHG emissions by small ruminants. This shortcoming could be solved by using warming-equivalent emissions (CO2-we, GWP*), which can accurately link annual GHG emission rates to its warming effect in the atmosphere. In our study, using this GWP* methodology and different modelling approaches, we first examined the historical (1990–2018) contribution of European dairy small ruminant systems to additional atmosphere warming levels and then studied different emission target scenarios for 2100. These scenarios allow us to envision the necessary reduction of GHG emissions from Europe's dairy small ruminants to achieve a stable impact on global temperatures, i.e. to be climatically neutral. Our analysis showed that, using this type of approach, the whole European sheep and goat dairy sector seems not to have contributed to additional warming in the period 1990–2018. Considering each subsector separately, increases in dairy goat production has led to some level of additional warming into the atmosphere, but these have been compensated by larger emission reductions in the dairy sheep sector. The estimations of warming for future scenarios suggest that to achieve climate neutrality, understood as not adding additional warming to the atmosphere, modest GHG reductions of sheep and goat GHG would be required (e.g. via feed additives). This reduction would be even lower if potential soil organic carbon (SOC) from associated pastures is considered.

Breeding dairy goats for disease resistance is profitable in smallholder production systems

2021 ◽  
Vol 197 ◽  
pp. 106337
Author(s):  
A.A. Amayi ◽  
T.O. Okeno ◽  
M.G. Gicheha ◽  
A.K. Kahi
Keyword(s):  
Disease Resistance ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Dairy Goats

scholarly journals Worldwide Prevalence of Small Ruminant Lentiviruses in Sheep: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 784
Author(s):  
Ricardo de Miguel ◽  
Marta Arrieta ◽  
Ana Rodríguez-Largo ◽  
Irache Echeverría ◽  
Raúl Resendiz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Small Ruminant ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
Small Ruminants ◽  
Strong Positive Correlation ◽  
Scientific Publications ◽  
Serological Tests ◽  
Gold Standard Method ◽  
Small Ruminant Lentiviruses

Small Ruminant Lentiviruses (SRLV) are highly prevalent retroviruses with significant genetic diversity and antigenic heterogeneity that cause a progressive wasting disease of sheep called Maedi-visna. This work provides a systematic review and meta-analysis of the last 40 years (1981–2020) of scientific publications on SRLV individual and flock prevalence. Fifty-eight publications and 314 studies were included. Most articles used a single diagnostic test to estimate prevalence (77.6%), whereas articles using three or more tests were scarce (6.9%). Serological tests are more frequently used than direct methods and ELISA has progressively replaced AGID over the last decades. SRLV infection in sheep is widespread across the world, with Europe showing the highest individual prevalence (40.9%) and being the geographical area in which most studies have been performed. Africa, Asia, and North America show values between 16.7% to 21.8% at the individual level. South and Central America show the lowest individual SRLV prevalence (1.7%). There was a strong positive correlation between individual and flock prevalence (ρ = 0.728; p ≤ 0.001). Despite the global importance of small ruminants, the coverage of knowledge on SRLV prevalence is patchy and inconsistent. There is a lack of a gold standard method and a defined sampling strategy among countries and continents.

Reasons for keeping dairy goats in Tanzania, and possible goals for a sustainable breeding program

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. C. Nziku ◽  
G. C. Kifaro ◽  
L. O. Eik ◽  
T. Steine ◽  
T. Ådnøy
Keyword(s):  
Milk Yield ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Breeding Program ◽  
Dairy Goat ◽  
Dairy Goats ◽  
Quantitative And Qualitative Research ◽  
Animal Identification ◽  
Breeding Goals ◽  
And Performance

This research aimed at describing reasons for keeping dairy goats in Tanzania, and possible goals for a sustainable breeding program. Three districts, each representing a unique dairy goat breed population, were selected for the study. The Saanen, Toggenburg and Norwegian were the main dairy goat breeds in Arumeru, Babati, and Mvomero districts, respectively. A total of 125 dairy goat farmers were interviewed. A holistic approach of both quantitative and qualitative research methods was used to study the perceptions of farmers. More milk yield, sale of breeding stock and manure were the highest ranked reasons for keeping dairy goats. The reasons were coherent to the production systems. The three most preferred traits for improvement were milk yield, adaptability and twinning ability. These preferences were absolutely important in the context of the referred production system. Selection of replacement stock, animal identification and performance recording were the main challenges emphasised by farmers. The present study views these challenges as a result of knowledge gaps in animal breeding that require solutions. Based on result findings it is suggested that the milk yield and survival traits should be the primary dairy goat breeding goals. Generally, there are possibilities for developing sustainable dairy goat breeding programs in the surveyed areas given relevant breeding goals are incorporated. The design of simple and manageable dairy goat breeding schemes is necessary.

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