Genetic Intervention in Sustainable Livestock Production

Abstract

In the very recent history of livestock and animal production, the genetic intervention has become not just important but also very necessary. To achieve sustainable livestock production, it must be economically viable, environmentally sound, and socially acceptable. Keys to ensuring this include management planning, feed formulation, animal fertility, price incentives, and government policies, among others. The various ways genetic modifications have been employed to improve productivity in this sector start at the choice of the method of gene introduction, breed selection, breed combination, cross breeding, and management strategy. The basic available, reliable, and achievable biotechnology methods in livestock production that have revolutionized livestock production include artificial insemination (AI), embryo transfer (ET), in vitro fertilization (IVF), assisted reproductive technology (ART), and estrous synchronization. There are however constraints to the application of these biotechnological methods. Technological innovations geared at improving animal production and increased availability of animal protein especially in Nigeria are not readily available to the end-users. Several factors ranging from the cost of technology, government policies, adoption of technology, diseases, and environmental factors could be attributed to the constraints in the use of new technological advancements. Reducing these constraints will drastically increase and sustain livestock productivity in Nigeria.