34 Utilisation and conservation of farm animal genetic resources
Gustavo Gandini and Kor Oldenbroek
changes, changes in country regulations and importation policies, changes in gross national product GNP and marketing activities from multinational breeding
companies. he globalisation process afects in various ways the decline of local breeds. In most cases it is likely that these factors conspire to result in a lack in economic
proitability of the local breed compared to other breeds or crosses, or to other economic activities in the region. he fall in population size is the irst result of these facts oten
leading to extinction of the local breed. In this respect
in situ conservation should be triggered when possibilities for breed recovery are still present and when it supports the
sustainable use of the resource. he technique of maintaining endangered breeds in their production environments
in situ covers the widest spectrum of conservation objectives see Table 2.1. Only continuous utilisation maintains breeds as dynamic entities, adapted to both the
needs of the society and the production environment. he key factor for minimising costs for conserving breeds
in situ is to maintain breeds that retain the potential to be economically self-sustaining. hen, it becomes important to analyse the options we
have for an eicient in situ conservation of breeds through their utilisation and to make
local endangered breeds self-sustainable. Six general options for in-situ conservation will be considered:
establishing the economic performance of the breed; improving infrastructures and technical assistance;
genetic improvement; optimisation of the production system;
developing activities to increase the market value of breed products; developing incentives.
he large diferences among areas of the world, in particular on the basis of gross national product and available technology, would suggest treating groups of countries separately.
However, considering the rapid changes we observe in some areas of the world and the fact that there is a continuum of situations rather than discrete groups, we can analyse
diferent options for self-sustaining breeds world-wide. But we will remark upon and indicate opportunities of transfer speciic options across countriesareas of the world.
Rural communities and farm animal resources are interdependent and cannot be separated. his criterion is a world-wide rule but it is particularly true in many developing
countries with pastoral and smallholder communities. In 2001 an international workshop Köhler-Rollefson, 2003 underlined the importance of developing
“Community-based Management of Animal Genetic Resources”. his approach relies on a farm animal genetic resources and ecosystem management where the community
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Utilisation and conservation of farm animal genetic resources 35
Chapter 2. Strategies for moving from conservation to utilisation
is responsible for decisions on deining, prioritising and implementing actions. Some projects are adopting and testing the community-based approach Köhler-Rollefson,
2003. Focussing on rural communities allows the simultaneous promotion of the development of rural communities and the conservation of animal genetic resources.
More generally, an active participation of farmers and all stakeholders, including commercial companies, is important for the success of the options analysed below.
3.1. Establishing the economic performance of the breed
For most of the local breeds we have no reliable data on their performances. Most oten:
performances are estimated on small samples; information refers only to phenotypic data, with no estimates of genetic
parameters; information is not available on itness traits, such as longevity, fertility, mortality,
feed and management requirements characters, which signiicantly contribute to breed proitability.
In many areas on the world comparisons of performances between crossbred and indigenous breeds have been based on poor experimental designs, which oten produce
misleading results FAO, 1998. It is likely that better evaluations of the economic performances of local breeds may change the ranking of local and exotic breeds. It may
correct erroneously perceived diferences, and may indicate possible strong points of the local breed.
Breed comparisons should irst be based on a good assessment of breed performances. When the breeds participate in a national recording scheme for production traits, the
biological information for the comparison can be gathered much more accurately. More accurate comparisons require:
Awareness for interactions between the farm management and the characteristics of the breed, which requires comparisons of breeds in diferent management systems.
For example, the level of inputs made may interact with breed performances. Additional trials at experimental stations or at practical farms under controlled
conditions. Despite possible high costs, these trials ofer the opportunity to compare breeds accurately for input and output factors, which is essential for a proper
economic comparison. Studies on farms and in experimental stations including the evaluation of purebreds
and crossbreds to better understand the potential use of the local breed in diferent production systems, and to estimate the heterosis involved in crossbred
performance.
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36 Utilisation and conservation of farm animal genetic resources
Gustavo Gandini and Kor Oldenbroek
he relative economic advantage or disadvantage of a breed is a function of the relative prices for the diferent animal products. A breed, which is not used in high-input, high-
output systems, can be proitable in a low-input system through a high feed intake capacity, longevity, fertility, hardiness, quality of the products or a niche market for
its products see Box 2.2. In valuing breeds, besides the traditional products such as milk, meat, ibre, draught, etc., services such as insurance for the future development of
animal production, environmental and cultural functions should be taken into account. Assessing the economic values of all these components is fundamental to inform policy
decisions, to design economic incentives and to create added value to local breeds. Some research in this respect has been developed in the last years a Special Issue on Animal
Genetic Resources Anonymous, 2003 of Ecological Economics was dedicated to this aspect. In particular some componentsvalues of farm animal genetic resources are not
captured by the market. Speciic methods can be used for their economic valuation, such as techniques based on simulating hypothetical markets to estimate the willingness
to pay by the society and the willingness to accept by farmers. Reviews on economic valuation of farm animal genetic resources can be found in Drucker
et al. 2001, 2005, Roosen
et al. 2005, and a brief overview is presented in chapter 9.
3.2. Improving infrastructures and technical assistance
Most oten local breeds produce in areas characterised by speciic local socio-economic development. his might be associated with lack of infrastructure and technical
assistance, including networks for milk collection and processing, slaughterhouses, networks for commercialisation of products and performance recording. he absence
of breeders associations or breeding programmes plays a negative role on breed
Box 2.2. he use of high altitude pastures by the Abondance and Tarentaise cattle: An example of the establishment of the performance of breeds in a speciic environment.
he French Northern Alps are famous for their landscapes and opportunities for tourism and sport. Dairy cattle production is the main agricultural activity where milk is processed for cheese
production. In particular two cheeses, the Reblochon and the Beaufort, both produced under a Protected Designation of Origin PDO in small dairy factories, increased substantially in market
share over the last 25 years. Two local cattle breeds, the Abondance and the Tarentaise, play a central role in these cheese productions. Comparisons of these breeds with other French dairy
cattle Verrier
et al., 2005 revealed that the Abondance and Tarentaise have: walking capacity with a low impact on dairy production, better resistance to heat, better grazing activity on high
altitude pastures under harsh climatic conditions, and better roughage intake, fertility, longevity, somatic cell count, milk protein to fat ratio, milk clotting quality, cheese yield.
