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Community-based breeding programs: A sustainable solution for livestock keepers?
In recent years community-based livestock breeding programs (CBBPs) have got some attention and have been considered as a new and more sustainable option to improve livestock production under smallholder conditions and in low-input systems. Most CBBPs are found with livestock keepers owning local breeds of small ruminants.
The idea of CBBPs is that livestock keepers with a common interest in improving their genetic resources work together and jointly develop breeding strategies, which are based on their local rules and institutional settings. This bottom-up process ensures that the decision-making power remains with the livestock keepers. However, scientists play an important role as facilitators, moderators and technical experts and can provide guidance and bring in their know-how in the various steps in the design and implementation of a breeding program.
Beside the numerous technical challenges, there are also various socio-cultural aspects that have to be addressed and discussed with the participants of the breeding program. Enough room for reflection and discussion on traditional norms and values and possible changes has to be provided. In some cases changes can maybe more easily proposed and initiated by scientists as they are outsiders of the communities.
The important role of women in the different aspects of livestock management is indisputable, but their participation in decision-making processes not only at household, but also at a breeders´ association or at community level is often neglected. Therefore, new forms of cooperation and modification of traditional roles of disadvantaged groups should be considered. Exclusion of women impoverishes the knowledge base, so that future adaption options might be overlooked. In addition, excluding women undermine legitimacy of the institutions, thus threatening the whole management system. Inclusion of different viewpoints of concerned actors leads to more sustainable solutions and makes a production system more resilient.
Keywords: community-based breeding programs, gender, resilience