ESTABLISHING THE CONTRIBUTION OF GENETIC RESOURCES IN DOMESTIC ANIMAL DIVERSITY FOR FOOD SECURITY TOWARDS: THE ACHIEVEMENT )F THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT * GOALS BY YAHAYA BABAWURO’, SAIDU, S. GAYA’ & YAHAYA, N. PINDIGA’ ‘ Federal College of Education (Tech) Gombe, ? Federal College of Education Yola & * Gombe State University, Gombe. ABSTRACT World food production and agriculture utilize only afew animal species, within which many breeds with unique characteristics exist, and the genetic resources which form the pool of domestic animal diversity available to meet the increasing massive global demand for food and agriculture is always diminishing. This biological diversity is ‘being lost as human population and economic pressures accelerate the pace of change in traditional agricultural systems. As a result, more and more breeds of domestic animals are in danger of becoming extinct. Greater efforts in the conservation and sustainable use of these irreplaceable resources are required to prevent, stop and reverse this trend of erosion of diversity. Therefore, there isthe need o establish the contribution of these animals through ‘monitoring, characterization and a well-managed development and utilization strategy over time ofthe gene pool of each species. This paper examined the contribution of domestic animals genetic resource (AnGR) and the component of biodiversity which is essential for efficient and sustainable production of food fram a variety of domestic animals that will satisfy the mary different needs of human societies in eradicating extreme poverty and nunger as contained in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) eight point agenda, by the year 2013. Introduction Animal Genetic Resources include all species, breeds and strains that are of economic, scientific and cultural interest to humankind for agriculture, both now and in the future (F A © 2003), Common agricultural species include sheep, goats, cattle, horses, pigs, buffalo and chickens, but there are many other domesticated animals such as camels, donkeys, elephants, reindeer, rabbits and rodents species that are important to different cultures andregions of the world. According to (Barker 1999), Animal domestication began some 10 000 years ago when people began selecting animals for food, fibre, work power and other agricultural uses. Livestock provide valuable products, such as hides, wool and manure, that are important both for subsistence and as sources of income for rural communities. Anestimated 12 percent of the world's population lives in areas where people depend almost entirely on products obiained from ruminant livestock- cattle, sheep and goats. FAO (1999) alerted the global community to the alarming figures in respect to domestic animal diversity. It estimated that about one third of the world's recognized 5000 livestock and poultry breeds are endangered and that breeds become extinct atthe rate of one per week. Nevertheless, the problem has received much less attention than plant genetic diversity and hardly any awareness appears to exist about the problem of animal genetic resource (AnGR) erosion. However the approaches for participatory animal genetic resources conservation are lacking, although the majority of the threatened AnGR are vested with traditional pastoralists and farmer communities. Therefore this paper highlights the need for establishing the contribution of genetic resources in some domestic animal in order to create a national Animal diversity awareness to strengthen the capacity of local farmers to preserve agricultural biodiversity for effective animal protein supply and tomaintain comprehensive gene banks, towards the achievement of the millennium development goal of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger among our teaming population, ‘Therisk status of indigenous animals ‘The reasons why indigenous breeds become extinct are manifold, Factors include replacement or eross-breeding with exotic breeds, alienation of common property resources (due to break-down of traditional management institutions, crop cultivation, irrigation projects, wildlife protection, tourism, etc.), political conflicts (land disputes and wars), natural disasters (droughts, floods, cyclones), technological advances (replacement of work animals by machines), integration into the global economy, unfavourable marketing and policy environments for local livestock products, and others (RIM 1992). Pereira et al (1998) reveal that genetic resources are among the most valuable assets that a country holds, The number of domestic animal species contributing to agriculture is The Voice of Teachers, Vol 1 No. 1, 2009 |76‘YAHAYA BABAWURO’, SAIDU, S. GAYA" & YAHAYA, N. PINDIGA? —_—_— ow, with less than 30 species being used extensively, and with less than 14 species accounting for over 90 percent of global livestock production. However, whilst the number of species being used in the livestock sector is low, the genetic diversity of these species has been used extremely effectively. Farmers and breeders have successfully selected animals for a variety of traits and production environments, resulting in the development of over 6000 breeds of livestock (Pereira, et al 1998). From just nine of the 14 most important species (cattle, horse, ass, pig, sheep, buffalo, goat, chicken and duck) as may as 4000 breeds have bbeen developed and used worldwide. FAO (2003) recorded that Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAS-IS) had over 6900 breeds in 35 species from 180 countries, including information on origin, population, risk status, performance and morphology. Of these, over 700 are already extinet and it is estimated that 30 percent of the world's breeds are atrisk ofextinction. ‘Table 1: Numbers and Risk Status of different livestock breeds recorded in the Domestic Animal Database FAORisk . Goats Sheep _ Chicken Ducks Muscovy Geese Pigs Other Total Status : Species , Unknown 230 496183 73 12 15S). 711». 1807 Notatrisk 295.684. 221 31. 8 19 228, 981-2467 Endangered 57 1s4 265 4 14 90 304° 903 Critical 29 o 164 32, 01 a 53 214599 Extinct 16 ig] 48 4 - 2 148334733 Endangered ‘ . Maintained 12 56 7 0 1 15° 25 135" * 325 Critical- maintained 7 9 i 6 1 2 2. 41 9 Total 646 1659963. SB 91 T2720 6923 Source: FAO, (2003) . Breed notatris ‘A breed where the total number of breeding females and males is greater than 1000 and 20 respectively; or the population size approaches 1000 and the percentage of purebred females isclose to 100%, andthe overall population sizes increasing Endangered breed: . ‘A breed wher the total number of breeding females is, between 100, nd, 1000 or the total number of breeding males is less than or equal to 20, and greater than five; or the overall population size is close to, but slightly above. 100 and increasing and the percentage of pure- bred females is above 80 percent; or the overall population size is close to, but slightly above 1000 and decreasing, the percentage of pure-bred females is below 80 percent. Critical breed: ‘A breed where the total number of breeding females is less than 100 or the total number of breeding males is less than or equal to five; or the overall population size is close to, but lightly above 100 and decreasing, the percentage of pure-bred females is below 80%. Extinct breed: ‘A breed where it is no longer possible to recreate the breed population, extinction is absolute when there are no breeding males (semen), breeding females (oocytes), nor embryos remaining. Maintained breed: Critical-maintained breed and endangered-maintained breed: categories where critical or - ‘endangered breeds are being maintained by an active public conservation programme or within commercial or research facility. Food Security and Animal Diversity Food security refers to the availability of food and one’s access to it. A household is considered food secure when its occupants donot live in hunger or fear of starvation. [77 aee esrusuisiung tue conrersurt0n OF GENETIC RESOURCES IN DOMESTIC ANIMAL DIVERSITY FOR FOOD SECURITY TOWARDS THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS Worldwide around 852 million people até clironically hungry due to extreme poverty, while up to 2 billion people lack food security intermittently due to varying degrees of poverty (FAO, 2003). Domestic Animal Diversity covers the spectrum of genetic differences within each breed, and across all breeds in each domestic animal species, together with the species differences (Kdhler-Rollefson 2001 and Geerlings et al. 2002). This variety is available for the sustainable intensification of food and agriculture production. Food insecurity exists when people, at all times, have no access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. (FAO) Therefore, Food security for household ‘means access by all members atall times to enough food for an active, healthy life. The eroding value of local breeds For decades, local or indigenous livestock breeds were regarded as inferior to the high-performance breeds developed in the West. One important factor driving the process of animal genetic resource erosion is lack of confidence in the value of local breeds (FAO and UNEP, 1995). For decades, local livestock breeds were a pr regarded as less productive than their foreign counterparts. Furthermore, it-was elieved that genetic improvementby selection within the breed was too time-consuming to be worthwhile; hence all energy was spent onattempting a quick fix by cross-breeding. Kropfetal 1992) indicated that there is now increasing evidence that local breeds may not only be superior, but also that their productivity can be further improved within reasonable timeframes (Geerlings ¢¢ al. 2002), Animals have been improved genetically and come to represent prime beef or dual purpose producers, whereas in some cases the populations have decreased in number, and become diluted due to cross-breeding and in some. ‘cases are regarded as threatened. Some initiatives such as that by NAPRI Zaria in Nigeria show that considerable improvements in milk and meat producti can also be achieved. Examples where efforts to replace local breeds with imported ones were reversed include, (Anderson etal, 1999 and Blench, 1999). ‘The changes in the environment and genotype (environment interactions and natural selection) generally affect the genetic composition of animals over time. ‘The number of breeds has markedly declined over the past half century. Up to 30% of global mammalian and * avian livestock breeds ({.c., 1,200 to 1,500 breeds) are currently at risk of being lost and cannot be replaced (Thrupp 1998, FAO 1999) see Table TI, Contribution from diversity as insurance for the future Many local breeds commonly possess valuable traits such as adaptation to harsh conditions, including tolerance of parasitic and infectious diseases, drought and poor quality feed, They are being replaced in both developed and developing countries by a few high production breeds which; to be successful, require high inputs, skilled management and comparatively benign environments. FAO (1999) suggested that a broad genetic base is crucial to deal with future changes in environment, markets for animal products and animal production systems, The focusshould be on changing the environment to create opportunities for exotic breeds té be productive. In the more recent approach the focus is on accepting certain constraints of the environment and using breeds that can cope with these constraints, Maintenance of the genetic diversity of livestock istherefore important. Establishing a national and global strategy for the conservation of domestic animails FAO and UNEP (1995), argued that the breed populations or genetic resources of each domestic animal species together comprise the diversity of the species. How much does each breed contribute to the total diversity within a species? and how.large is the pool of diversity for each species? These are important questions in establishing a global strategy for the conservation of donsticanimal diversity. Itis therefore inthe best interest of societies to ensure that farmers and breeders have access to the widest possible range of animal genetic resources so that they can effectively respond to change. Also, ensuring the conservation of wild species will provide opportunities to further develop and expand the livestock sector, Identification of wild species with potential to contribute to agriculture, and integration of agricultural biodiversity conservation strategies and plans with general biodiversity conservation initiatives is essential. Foodsecurity an livestock-keys to poverty alleviation At the dawn of the 21* century more than 1.2 billion people live in extreme poverty, while 850 million are chronically hungry and the number is rising. Most of these people are found in sub-Saharan Africa, and South and East Asia. Of the 40,000 people that die each day of malnutrition, about half are infants and children (FAO 2003). ‘Throughout the developing world poverty is linked to hunger and every other person in sub-Saharan Africa is |78‘YAHAVA BABAWURO', SAIDU, S. GAYA’ & YAHAYA, N. PINDIGA? considered poor, ie. lives on less than one US dollar a day. It isestimated that 5 million children die of causes directly related to malnutrition annually (FAO 2003), Availability of affordable food of livestock origin would go a long way to helping alleviate this catastrophe. However, the challenge of adequately feeding people in the future is exacerbated by the fact thatthe globel population increases by some 90 million people annually. This means that the world’s farmers will have to increase their production by 50% to feed about? billion more people by the year 2020(Thrupp, 1998). The overall vbjective of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) of the United Nations (UN 2004) is to reduce the proportion of people who are extremely poor and hungry by 50% by the year 2015. However, according to the Progress Report of the Millennium Development Goals (UN 2004), the sub-Saharan Afica, South Asia and westem Asia regions still lag behind in terms of the set targets in almostall the eight goals. The incidents of extreme poverty are stil very high, universal education is behind and child mortality rates remain highwith no significant changes taking place. In addition, HIV/AIDS is still ravaging many populations and environmental sustainability is declining. In each ofthe goals, development and sustainable use of livestock, especially iftargeted to the poor, providesa pathway to achieving the goals (FAO 2003). The per capita availability of food of animal origin is much lower in the developing than in the developed world (Table Il). However, it has improved in developing countries as a whole, but iarge discrepancies exist between regions. Table II. Per capita daily supply of animal products in calories and gram protein for1990 and 2004 1990 2004 Protei ‘calories Developed world 56.9 938 59.1 873 Developing world 21.0 253 148 358 Sub-Saharan Africa 103 145 MA 140 Source: FAO, (1999) Policy Implication of Loss of Genetic Diversity in Domestic Aninrals FAO (2003) reported that the important consequences of reduced diversity area loss of disease resistance and loss of tolerance to different environmental conditions. Ironically the loss of indigenous breeds that are able to exploit vegetation in the more extreme environments may also seriously affect the capacity of some societies to live in significant areas of the world in a sustainable manner (Pereira et al. 1998). Declining livestock diversity has serious consequences for current livestock production and future capacity to meet unforeseen challenges and opportunities. For instance, commercial production of egg chickens, meat chickens, and turkeys is dominated by fewer than 10 multinational breeding companies. larly, records in the Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD-IS) database, indicated that China possessed 128 pig breeds, of which 10 are now extinct and a further 10 are either critical or endangered as, they are replaced with western breeds (FA 02003). ‘However, these losses weaken the potential of breeding programs that Gould improve hardiness of livestock. Commercial breeds of livestock possess greater genetic variability than most crop varieties do. This diversity allows intensification of selection within breeds to be a fruitful approach for improving livestock productivity. However, if continued emphasis on breed replacement and increasing selection intensity (e.g. for greater productivity) take place at the expense of maintenance of genetic diversity, including the advantages of disease resistance and environmental adaptation, there may be significant long-term costs. ‘The option available for Preventing Genetic erosion Itis important that the genetic cliversity of rare and endangered livestock breeds and their wild relatives and ancestral lines be preserved as insurance against future needs. This is gradually becoming established through the efforts of the FAO's Domestic Animal Diversity programme (FAO 1999), However, thereneeds tobe afar greater awareness of the problem. In addition, the native habitats of the wild relatives of livestock species must be preserved. Investments in preserving this natural capital could yield net payofis in both agricultural productivity and profitability. Such investments should be considered in any economic cost-benefit analyses of alternative production regimes. A move towards sustainable agriculture requires changes in production methods, concepts, and policies, as well as the participation of local people. Scientific advancements in genetics and "improved" |79tt auisiine tHe conrersvrion oF GENETIC RESOURCES IN DOMESTIC ANIMAL DIVERSITY FOR FOOD SECURITY TOWARDS THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS varieties can have important roles. However, these need to be reoriented towards conserving and using diversity in farming systems rather than replacing diversity with uniformity ‘Conclusion ‘ The need o establish the contribution of domestic animal genetic resources and biodiversity was hightighted, in order to successfully implement the Convention on Biodiversity on the matter, a close integration of the activities of all stakeholders - researchers, governments, civil society, livestock keepers and pastoralists is absolutely essential. Many breeds of damestic-animals can best be saved by supporting the associated communities in their livelihoods through appropriate policies, such as those that ensure access to pastures and markets. Recommendations The General Assembly President Jean Ping once said by the year 2015, MDGs will provided an opportunity to reflect on the millions of men, women and children facing hunger, most of who lived in the rural dréas of the developing world in abject poverty. Therefore to achieve this statement in the livestock sector there ts @ need for: . * Establishing the contribution of genetic resources in indigenous domesticated animal diversity for food security. + Proper education, national and global policy-making as well as legal frameworks to enable local communities to protect ecological diversity within the livestock resources. © Establishment of policies that take into account the links betweén economy and ecology, society and environment, politics and long-term food security. REFERENCES Anderson, S., Drucker, A. and Gndel, S. (1999) Conservation of Animal Genetic Resources. Long distance course, Wye College External Programme, University of London. Barker, J.S.F. (1999) Conservation of livestock breed diversity. Animal Genetic Resource Information25:33-43, Blench, R. M, (1999) 'Tillhe cows come home’. Why conserve livestock biodiversity? ODI, London. 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