Goat Development: An Opportunity to Strengthen Rural Economy in Asia and Africa

Goat has been economically important to people living in arid, semiarid, hilly and remote tribal areas, because of its tolerance to harsh weather conditions, ability to feed on inferior quality crop residues, high prolificacy, short gestation period and high rate of growth. The presence of 94.36 per cent of the world goat population in Asia and Africa reflected on its utility where most of the world’s poor have been living. Goat is a source of milk, meat and financial security, for families of lower most income groups. However, the production potentials of goat have not been optimally tapped due to un availability of services required for breeding, veterinary care, mobilisation of feed resources and market connectivity for milk and meat. Guiding and providing critical technical services to goat keepers through placement of field guides to improve yield and quality of the produce, instead of mere increase in population should be the focus of goat development programmes. Strengthening of infrastructure for supply of good quality inputs, processing of various goat products and marketing can enhance the income of goat keepers by several folds. Goat husbandry being an important tool for empowering women and poor and for ensuring nutritional security, it is an important livelihood support programme in the developing countries.