Abstract
Indigenous sheep play an important role in the livelihoods of communal farmers in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), and this underlines the need to curb the genetic erosion of these valuable resources. This contribution reports that the phenotypic performance and genetics gains of institutional and commercial sheep in Southern Africa are well recorded. In contrast, there is a dearth of knowledge as far as the performance and genetic gains of indigenous ovine genetic resources utilized by smallholder farmers are concerned. High levels of genetic diversity have been observed in exotic breeds, whereas low levels of genetic diversity were found in the Zulu and Namaqua Afrikaner breeds. Phenotypic measurements for indigenous resources include linear measurements indicative of size and reproduction for Zulu sheep. Lamb survival, reproduction and resistance to ticks of the indigenous, fat-tailed Namaqua Afrikaner sheep, as well as growth and reproduction have also been recorded for Sabi and Landim sheep. This review discusses ways to sustainably utilize ovine genetic resources, which includes the suggested implementation of structured breeding and conservation programs, marketing, improving feed resources, health and diseases, as well as gender and age issues. Clearly, there is ample room for further research and development as far as the performance and improvement of African indigenous sheep are concerned.
Highlights
According to international standards, the bulk of the agricultural landscape in Southern Africa is arid or semi-arid
Since communal farmers in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) region are dependent on livestock for providing social and economic security, there is a need to ensure that these ovine genetic resources remain robust and are sustained
The Zulu sheep kept on two research stations exhibited high genetic diversity and low levels of inbreeding
Summary
The bulk of the agricultural landscape in Southern Africa is arid or semi-arid. Having livestock that are able to adapt to these environments is, crucial This is true in regions of the SADC, where trypanosomiasis caused by the tsetse fly is prevalent. Increases in temperature have led to a decrease in tsetse flies in the Zambezi valley of Zimbabwe [7], causing the tsetse flies to relocate to the higher cooler regions of Zimbabwe This is true for other tick-borne and internal parasite diseases in sheep [8] as well as with rift valley fever transmitted by mosquitoes [9]. Since communal farmers in the SADC region are dependent on livestock for providing social and economic security, there is a need to ensure that these ovine genetic resources remain robust and are sustained. SADC region), the progress made and the way forward for sustainable usage of these resources
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
