Prof Kennedy Dzama, a distinguished professor in animal breeding and genetics in the Department of Animal Sciences at Stellenbosch University, is one of three co-authors of a new book that highlights the importance of advancing indigenous livestock breeds in Zimbabwe, including cattle, poultry, goats and pigs, and the advantages that these breeds hold in terms of hardiness and productivity compared to exotic breeds. This is the first in a series of books looking at indigenous animal genetic resources in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries.
Dr Dzama co-authored Performance of indigenous animal genetic resources in Zimbabwe and their potential contribution to the livestock along with fellow-Zimbabwean animal scientists and animal breeding specialists Dr Patrick Tawonezvi and Dr Themba Khombe.
Prof Tawonezvi has 40 years' experience in agricultural research and development in Zimbabwe, covering evaluation of indigenous and exotic ruminant livestock, university teaching, commercial farming and consultancy. Dr Khombe is the cofounder of the Institute for Rural Technologies, and is currently a commissioner in the Public Service Commission of Zimbabwe.
The book was launched at a virtual event organised by the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) in conjunction with Stellenbosch University's Faculty of AgriSciences.
During the event, Prof Dzama noted that the book is targeted at students, academics, farmers, NGOs, policy makers, development partners and agricultural extension officers. He said it fills an important knowledge gap in that it provides a textbook on the topic that condenses solid available research on indigenous African breeds. He said that the provision of such indigenous knowledge based on science also helps efforts to decolonise university curriculums, and to ensure that African and regional knowledge is not lost.
“I would love to see information about our Nguni cattle, our Tuli cattle, our Tswana cattle, Kalahari goats and Damara sheep, for instance, spread further and be used more widely," he noted.
According to Prof Dzama, the book is the first in a series describing the livestock genetic resources of all the countries in SADC. For each book, an academic textbook version for use in teaching will be produced and made easily accessible to students and lecturers.
One of the attendees at the book launch called the publication “a present to the animal science society, to the SADC, and Africa as a whole", while another called it “ceiling breaking".
The CCARDESA Executive Director, Dr Cliff Dlamini, acknowledged the commitment of the authors to facilitate and share agriculture knowledge based on research and experiences from around the world. He hoped it would help to promote the importance of indigenous genetic farm resources to strengthen regional trade and food security, and also lead to more such overarching publications for other countries.
“In light of the phenomenon of climate change, indigenous breeds provide an avenue for resilience because of their hardiness, and should therefore not be allowed to disappear," Mr Duncan Samikwa, a representative of the SADC Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Directorate, noted during the launch ceremony.
“Zimbabwe is endowed with a wide variety of animal genetic resources that are used or may be used for food and agriculture, with cattle, goats, sheep, pig and poultry being the main livestock species," Dr Khombe noted. “National statistics show that indigenous breeds contribute substantially more to agriculture and food security in Zimbabwe than exotic breeds.
“Indigenous breeds have however received much less attention in commercial livestock production than exotic breeds imported from other countries, despite their being more adapted and generally more productive than the exotics in most production systems in the country."
Dr Khombe says this is especially true for meat breeds.
The book among others provides information and relevant research on different breeds, and aspects of their performance compared to that of exotic breeds imported from elsewhere.
“The apparent growth advantage of exotics is insufficient to offset their inferior fertility, survivability and high maintenance cost, because their growth rate and size contributes relatively little to overall productivity," Dr Tawonezvi said during his presentation about the book's contents. “Contrary to commonly held views, indigenous meat breeds are as efficient as the large exotic breeds when finished to produce carcases of the same composition. They attain that composition at a younger age, at lighter weight and having consumed less feed than the larger exotics."
Therefore, he believes that indigenous breeds should form the basis for livestock development in Zimbabwe.
The authors hope that the book will help to contribute to the development of a comprehensive national breeding policy, strategy and institutional arrangements that underpin the development and appropriate use of Zimbabwe's animal genetic resources. They also hope for greater advocacy of indigenous breeds, given their comparative advantages over the exotic breeds.
It also highlights the role that breeding programmes and cross-breeding projects can play in enhancing breeds.
“Very little improvement in indigenous breeds, other than Mashonaland cattle, has happened so far," noted Dr Tawonezvi.
- Copies can be ordered via Amazon or contact Prof Kennedy Dzama at kdzama@sun.ac.za for enquiries.
