Livestock rearing is central to rural
livelihoods in a large part of the globe. In India according
to Government reports, in the year 2008, the sector contributed
about 5.3% of the total GDP and provided food, fiber,
energy and medicine essential for human survival. Challenges
regularly faced by this sector are production loss due
to livestock disease, epidemics, and regular shortages
of fodder.
This sector has recently witnessed many changes
due to various reasons. From traditional farm systems
it has slowly
become industrialized especially in developed countries.
Changes in livestock production systems have led to growing
environmental concerns ranging from degradation of grazing
areas, pollution due to accumulation of animal wastes
and loss of species diversity. Social, political, economic
and environmental changes including the emerging threat
of climate change and global warming affect not only
the
production system but also those who raise livestock.
Helping farmers especially marginal farmers from developing
countries understand, prepare and cope with these changes
is one of the main objectives of ANTHRA.
