Biodiversity, resource base, animal breed
level characterization, and utility of the
information for goat genetic resources
in Ethiopia
Tadelle Dessie (ILRI)
ILRI - ICARDA Training Course on Methods and approaches of
Phenotypic characterization of Animal Genetic Resources (Goats)
Addis Ababa, 20-21 December 2012

Outline of the presentation
• General context
• What is Biodiversity?
• What is the resource base we have in this
country?
• What/why/how characterization?
• What are the practical uses of production
environment and breed level
characterization information?

1. General context
• World population to reach almost 9 billion
over the next quarter of a century
– Getting richer and urbanised
• Increased demands for livestock
products
• NOT WITHOUT challenges !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1. General context –the main challenges
Livestock Domains Global Challenges
Feeding the world
Climate change
Globalization

1. General context: Importance of
Livestock
Globally:
Livestock contribution to human diets
• 13 % of all dietary energy; 25 % of all dietary protein
• 1.5 % of world GDP ( Ethiopia >15??? Kenya > 10% )
• livelihood component to 1 billion people
• The livestock sector is resource-hungry:
• ~ 70% of total agricultural land
• ~ 60 % of total anthropogenic biomass appropriation
• ~ 29 % of agricultural water use
• >15 % of greenhouse gas emissions (being re-calculated,
and re-calculated)
Steinfeld, 2012

1. General context-
Role and importance of Farm
animal genetic resources (FAnGR)
• Nearly everyone consumes some animal-source food in their diet
• Over one billion of the World’s poor depend on livestock, of whom
95% are extremely poor
• Livestock development is an opportunity to reduce poverty and
enhance food security
• Some 150 million livestock keepers are landless (Thornton et al.
2002)
• Livestock products: are reliable sources of high-quality, readily-
absorbed protein and micronutrients
• Livestock perform multiple functions

1. General context-
Animal Farming & Implications on Resources
• By 2050, 33 % more people to feed
– 70 % more meat and milk required
• 12 % of global land is crop land (1/3 thereof is for feed)
• 26 % of global land is pasture,
• Expansion of biofuels will continue
• Expanded yields must come from productivity increase
(i.e. better match of FAnGR with production
environments–no room for expansion)
• Environmental concerns over the livestock bads are
increasing (more productive livestock emit less GHG/unit
of product)

Challenges and opportunities of animal
breeding for poverty/livelihood impact

Challenges and opportunities of animal
breeding for poverty/livelihood impact
 Opportunity
 Population growth
 Income growth
 Urbanisation
 Increasing demand for livestock products
 Expanding post-production value addition
 Increased regional trade opportunities
 Livestock revolution
 Creative use of existing & emerging technology
e.g. AI, sexed semen, CBBI, mobile telephony

Challenges and opportunities of animal
breeding for poverty/livelihood impact
Challenges
 Rapid change in production system, Markets, Policy and
institutions
 Climate change –requires adaptive genotypes
 Demand for higher food quality standards
 New institutions and institutional arrangements are
required (& emerging!) NGOs, CBOs, private service
providers e.g. AI providers), PPPs, etc

2. Livestock diversity

Livestock biodiversity: what’s it
about?
Biodiversity refers to the number, variety and variability
of livestock
Constituent hierarchical elements:
- Genes (individual animals)
- Breeds ????/or populations
- Species, and
- Ecosystems, (production environment, farming system etc).

What is Livestock breed?
A population may be regarded as a ‘breed’ if
they fulfill the following criteria:
(i) They are subjected to a common utilization
pattern,
(ii) common habitat/distribution area,
(iii) they represent largely a closed gene pool, and
(iv) they are regarded as ‘distinct’ by their
breeders.
Kohler-Rollefson (1997)
Breed = unit of conservation

What is livestock diversity?
Breed or population of livestock is a set of
individuals reproductively isolated with
unique adaptive attributes under the
genetic control of many interacting genes
and the results of complex interaction
between the genotypes and the
environment 。

What is characterization?
• The distillation of all the information/knowledge
on & about a livestock breed/population:
• Phenotypic characterization
–Description of external characteristics, associated
pests/pathogens etc.
–Production characteristics within a defined/described
production environment (management practices)
–Its geographic distributions
–Uses –economic and socio-cultural values

What is characterization?
• Genetic characterization:
–Pattern of trait inheritance
–Genetic parameters
–How it performs when crossed with other breeds
–Genetic integrity/diversity and /or uniqueness (which
genes & how they function?)

Why characterize?
• In order to better understand & comprehensively
describe the animal and production
environment:
– Provides options for informed utilization &
management of AnGR (what & how?)
• Develop informed improvement/conservation programs
• Determine population trends & levels of threats etc.
• Advocate for, make & supportive/relevant policies
• Support/inform negotiations for transfers/exchange etc.

Management of Livestock
Biodiversity: components
understanding
•characterisation
•documentation
conservation utilization
priorities priorities
approaches/strategies approaches/strategies
policies policies

Livestock diversity - How much do we know
about the resource?
Characterize, • Using
quantify and map
•Phenotypic and
phenotypic
molecular
diversity, neutral
techniques
and functional
(microsatellites,
diversity of
mtDNA, SNPs etc)
FAnGR to inform
livestock •PhD and MSc
conservation and theses
utilization

Animal genetic resources diversity
-Ethiopia
• The country is endowed with huge farm animal
genetic diversity
• Reasons for this diversity:
– Ethiopia’s location near the historical entry point of many livestock
populations from Asia
– its diverse topographic and climatic conditions,
– the huge livestock population size and
– Diverse production systems
(production environment)
Species # of breeds
Cattle 27
Sheep 9
Goats 12
Chicken 10

Livestock diversity in Ethiopia!
• What are the factors which have shaped
the diversity of livestock in Ethiopia?
– Historic
– Evolutionary (adaptation)

Threats to animal genetic diversity
– The diversity has suffered considerably due
to:
• Climate change
• Wars and tribal conflicts,
• Recurring droughts/famines,
• Interbreeding between traditionally isolated
populations,
• Uncontrolled crossbreeding programs
– Systematic documentation of livestock
biodiversity has been negligible –Info.
system
– No planned interventions to curb the threat
of loss of genetic diversity

3. The resource base -goat

 The genus Capra is divided in to eight species
 Ethiopian- two goat species
 - C. hircus (domestic goat)
 - C. ibex walie (Walia ibex – wild goat)

Domestic goat (C. hircus)
 The resource and genetic diversity
 - Total population 23 Million
 - The majority in arid and semi arid lowlands
 - Larger flocks

Past and present goat research &
development
 EIAR – Small ruminant research in 1970
- - Holeta (highland goat) and Werer (Afar goat)
- Management studies associated with breed
evaluation and improvement programs
- A full-fledged goat research program representing
the semi-arid mixed farming systems has been
carried on at the Adami Tulu research center since
1992.
- However, during the past four decades goat research has
always been a secondary component of the small ruminant
research program

Past and present goat research
& development
Dairy goat research and development project - Anglo-Nubian
- FARM-Africa, ILRI, MOA, AU, AC
- Improve milk production levels of local goats
- Characterisation of indigenous goat populations
- Sets of morphological characteristics
- The domestic goats of Ethiopia and Eritrea have been
classified into four major families/breed groups and 14
breeds

Domestic goat (C. hircus)
• The Somali family (Short-eared Somali, Long-eared
Somali, and Hararghe Highland),
• The Nubian family (Nubian and Barka),
• The small Rift valley family (Abergalle, Worre, Afar,
Arsi-Bale, and Woyto-Guji) and
• Small East African family (Western Highland, Keffa,
Central Highland and West Lowland).
• The names given to the goat types of Ethiopia reflect
mainly their geographical locations and to some extent
also their ethnic affiliation.

Geographical distribution of goat breeds

Abergelle
Afar

Barka
Keffa

Central Highland Female
Central Highland Male

Long-eared Somali
Nubian Male

Nubian Female
Western Highland

Western Lowland
Woyto-Guji

Hararghe Highland

Uses and benefits of goat products
in Ethiopia

4. Approaches/principles

What do we mean by (livestock) system?
What is system?
– A group of interdependent category component parts
What are the components of livestock system?
– Animals (genotypes)
– Physical environment
– Fixed resources and management
– Socio-economics
– Relation with other systems or sub-systems
Interaction!
– Between the different component parts

How much do we know about the system?
Sources of information!
• Collect background information about the breed
in question and its production environment
• Past and on going characterization/improvement
works, censes etc
• Map the stakeholders in the area (national, regional,
district and village level)
• Policy documents, marketing, institutions
• Literature Review (Available knowledge and gaps)
• PhD and MSc Theses, project reports, journal articles,
papers in the proceedings, books etc
(local and international)

How much do we know about the system and the
animal to date? Sources of information!
• Global public-domain databases
DAD-IS of FAO:
– [http://www.fao.org/dad-is]
• EAAP Animal Genetic Databank:
•[http://www.tiho-hannover.de/einricht/zucht/eaap/index.htm]
• Oklahoma State University breeds database:
– [http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/ breeds]
• DAGRIS of ILRI:
– [http://dagris.ilri.cgiar.org/]

The Approaches & Principles
Planning & designs
Site selection
Sampling
Baseline survey Frames/unit
Codes/coding
What to sample,
PRA Aliquots
indicators
Market survey Sampling
frames/unit
Codes/coding
Household survey indicators
Feedbacks
Flock/herd performance
monitoring

LAYERS OF SOME LINKED INFORMATION TO CAPTURE,
STORE & PROCESS
Geo & Bio-physical data, including pathogen/pest & DNA samples
Sources of livelihoods, indicators & constraints
Markets and market information
Animal roles & herd/flock performance inc. lks
Technical info. Sources & Knowledge management
Related policies and institutional frameworks
Information system (Database)

Approaches & Methodologies
• Exploratory (rapid type) For more details
see:
http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/ba0055e/ba0055e00.pdf
and
• Confirmatory (detailed and repeated)
http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/i2413e/i2413e00.pdf
BUT:
– Can developing countries afford the 2 steps?
– Surveys are process heavy & expensive! Can they be more
smartly planned & innovatively done?

Sampling, analysis and
interpretation matters!
• Random/purposive across geographic distributions
• Village – within and whole –HH as a basic unit
• Understand the production environment and rapid
change in production system, Markets, Policy and
institutions (e.g. Export market!!!!)
– What to sample/measure/observe on the
production environment, Markets, Policy and
institutions?
• Understand the within and between breed variability
– What to sample/measure/observe on and around
the animal?
– Monitoring performances of animals for few but
important traits?
– Choice experiment, Raking experiment etc
• Uses, benefits, objectives of the producers

Sampling, analysis and
interpretation matters!
• Breeding and breeding management practices
• Major constraints
• Use of new technologies (Geo-referencing, Cell
phone etc
• Indigenous knowledge (uses and management etc)
• The right tools of data analysis and interpretation
• Molecular characterization! Which technique to use
and for what?
– E.g. Use of SSR markers Vs deep sequencing!
• sequencing costs declining fast (genotyping no longer
the problem), but we need to smartly collect the
associated phenotypic information

Data collected –Should be used!!!!!!

Animal Albums
for Identification
(innovative way!!!)

Very/very local uses!!!

Global linkage: Chicken diversity global analysis
Ethiopia is one of the Genetic hot spots

Practical uses of breed level characterization
information?
What, when and how?
Purpose:
• Sustainable and improved utilization
and/or
• Conservation

Sustainable and improved
utilization
• Two ways of improving productivity/performance
of an animal/breed
– Improving the environment of the animal (Genetic
improvement is not always the solution)
– Improving the genetic or genotype of an animal

Animal improvement is NOT necessarily about
breeding -Improving the environment of the animal (Genetic
improvement is not always the solution)
It should comprise:
– Understanding system changes and implications
– Providing knowledge to enable poor farmers to
adapt to these changes
– Providing access to relevant market information
– Creating (policy) environments that enable the poor to
participate along the livestock value chain
– Facilitating/developing institutional arrangements (including
private sector) that empower farmers to make and implement
decisions
– The above-Set the stage for genetic improvement
(including introduction of alternative
genetics)

Improving the genetic or genotype
of an animal/breed
All activities/actions and decisions that are intended to improve,
produce, deliver and sustain genotypes that are appropriate for the
objective of the target livestock keepers depends on the choice and
implementation of appropriate breed improvement program
The input for such a choice and decision making comes from good
understanding of the production environment, the animal, markets,
polices, institutions etc THE SYSTEM
Good understanding of the production environment, the animal, markets,
polices, institutions etc as an input can be obtained from well planed and
implemented production system and breed level characterisation work

Improving the genetic or genotype of an
animal/breed
Approaches of utilizing the potentials of better adopted indigenous
breeds must be developed when ever possible
But realistic ways of breed improvement must be chosen and applied in
the context of environmental constraints; socioeconomic demands; within
the scopes of management resource available. Aspects of sustainability
and provision of future genetic diversity are critical
The basic principle of conservation: There is no better way of
conserving a breed for future generation than consistently keeping the
breed or population viable by using an efficient, demand-driven and long
term breeding program suitable to commercial or cultural needs of the
producer

Improving the genetic or genotype of an
animal/breed
An important feature of a genetic improvement program is – its effect
accumulate over time
An economic benefits of a genetic improvement program also
accumulates
So breeding programs should there fore be seen as an investments for
sustainable improvements of animal stock and its potential to produce
food or other goods

Practical uses of characterization information
in designing breed improvement programs
• Knowledge of the resources (breed), use, special
characteristics, objectives of producers etc
– Identify and use merits of animals, marching genotypes to
production environment etc
• Understanding the production environment and the
resource available
– Animals with high genetic potential requires better management
– Match genotypes with environment

Practical uses of characterization
information in designing breed
improvement programs
• Understand systems (and different
component parts)
– Match interventions (non-genetic) to production
system
• Producer preferences, choice experiments,
ranking experiments etc;
– Define breeding objectives (realistic and
attainable)

Practical uses of characterization
information in designing breed
improvement programs
• Understanding the production and productivity level,
within and between breed variation
– If need be the genetic potential of animals can be improved
implementing one of the different breeding programs
– Help in the choice of a breeding method ----which is perhaps the
most important decision in designing a breeding program
• Understand the mating system and selection practice
followed by producers
– Help in designing/refining a mating system and selection as a
breeding tools

Practical uses of characterization
information in designing breed
improvement programs
• A thorough analyse/understanding of the function of
the animal in the entire system
• An understanding of the many interaction among
the many components of the system
• Are the key to determine a trait of importance
and optimum genotype for those traits in the
system

Practical uses of characterization
information in designing breed
improvement programs -Example:
– If animals in a population showed greater variability
(Phenotypic and Genetic) in productivity under similar
management
• That variability passes to their offspring's
– Then the choice of Genetic (breed) improvement method
will be Selection (allows superior animals to become the
parents of the next generation)
» But the traits of choice is important and should be
heritable, variable and measurable for success
» And genetic progress through selection depends
on the heritability value of the trait of choice, selection
deferential and generation interval

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Remember: The Ultimate goal is to
make a positive impact and at scale!
Improved Improved FAnGR husbandry
Livelihood/ Improved FAnGr breeds
Environment = (later)
Improved nutrition
Improved incomes
Improved Strategies
•Husbandry practices
(Capacity Building)
•FAnGR breeds
•Markets & marketing
•Household food &
nutrition security
Assessments of: livelihood, genetic Survey/assessments
Assessments of: livelihood, genetic diversity,
diversity, husbandry practices, feeding/
husbandry practices, feeding/forages. Market
forages. Market opportunities
opportunities

Ultimately: Facilitating farmers to successfully
breed the genotypes they desire

Genetic improvement of livestock is complex, but
can deliver substantial and long-lasting benefits
As seen in the developed world, huge gains can be
unlocked through genetics
however…
To fully benefit from breed improvement requires a system
approach (community/farmer) participation, health, nutrition
etc
but…
This can also be a catalyst for improving the wider system
–triggering input supply, better marketing etc
and…
Unlike many other types of intervention, benefits can span
generations

Excellent example from Pakistan

Long term commitment!!!!!
Great Grand Father Grand Father Father Son

Some concluding remarks
• Guidelines are guidelines; adapt them accordingly
• Focus on key information but document well
• Make it participatory and focus on the desired outcomes
not the immediate outputs!
• Employ appropriate analytical procedures, else!
• Smart use of IT & IK can save energy, money and
guarantee good outputs and desired outcomes!
• Thoroughly test indigenous FAnGRs before condemning
them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Consider how to document/catalogue, monitor the
information & bio-bank samples collected