Reselience of indigenous livestock breeds

The Secret Power is in the Camels’ Genes

The drive behind the camel domestication was a set of goals to achieve through this incredible animal, the camel; an animal that can produce food in a challenging scenario. These challenges were comprised of bad weathering, scarcity of food & water, and long traveling for different purposes.

Camels relying on the driedout bushes in the desert. Photo credit Haris Kakar

The wise cameleers selected the incredible camel to achieve this set of tasks to ensure food security and livelihood in the world’s driest landscapes. The secrets of the potential both as qualitative and quantitive traits are treasured in their genes. The camel can play a very multi-dimensional role for the betterment of the human being and Mother Earth. Camel4life international is an advocacy forum promoting camel at the global level to convince the policymakers and other stakeholders to use the camels as an agent for development and food security. https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/science/effect-of-camel-milk-against-cancer-tested-in-regional-study-1.874484

Some days before I and Dr. Ulri were interviewed by Daniel Bardsley and published in the National Newspaper of the UAE. Here is the link to the interview in the following. https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/environment/it-s-in-their-genes-saudi-study-seeks-to-analyse-how-camels-cope-with-extreme-temperatures-1.1140431

Camel Ensures Sustainable Productivity

The atrocities of climate change are emerging with multi-dimensional outcomes in different parts of the world with different intensities and level of losses. The historical Bactria region1 (Also, Arya) is one of the worst affected ecosystems. This region is the historical home place of some very precious livestock species and cradle of domestication2. The region is the birthplace of Bactrian camel, Yak, sheep, goat, and horses. The regions are well known for its sheep and cattle culture mainly depending on grasses. In the due course of speedy climate change, the rangelands of the region lost many grass varieties and quantity produced per unit of land. Low rain falls, erratic rains, rains beyond proper timing are the main drivers of the climate change and hot spells are catalysts in this regards.

The sheep and cattle industry of the indigenous breeds is under threat. The drought cycles hit the region resulted in the loss of the sheep and cattle. Three species like Camel, goat and donkey are the most resilience to this climate change. Camel is unique because of the long walking ability and resistance to water & feed scarcity as their special traits.

A camel can be a good player if explored to ensure food security in such a climate change scenario because of special traits. Unfortunately, the policy makers of the region have never placed camel at its proper place while fabricating policy regarding agricultural development. Authors have striven for years to bring camel in the mainstream of the policy makers but yet need more to be done.

For further reading;

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20141107170939-85443832-a-precious-sheep-culture-is-under-threat

References

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bactria

2.http://livestockscience.in/wp-content/uploads/2011/slutversion_after_revision_av_Raigi_camel_till_J_Livestock_science.pdf