Scientific Dairy Farming Practices for the Semi-Arid Tropics

The livestock sector is one of the fastest growing agricultural sub-sectors in India. It is a rich source of high quality products such as milk, meat and eggs and a source of income and employment to millions of rural farmers, particularly women. According to the reports of Central Statistics Office, the value of outputs from the livestock sector at current prices was about `811,847 crores during 2015-16, which is about 28.6% of the value of outputs from the agricultural and allied sectors. Within this sector, dairying is a livelihood option for many rural poor, especially the landless, marginal and small farmers in India. It serves as an effective tool for rural development, employment and sustained income and as an insurance against several odds. Milk production in India during 2015-16 and 2016-17 was 155.5 million tonnes and 165.4 million tonnes respectively, showing an annual growth of 6.37%. Dairy farming in semi-arid India is mainly taken up by smallholders who rear animals on crop residues and common property resources. They are handicapped by low capital and lack of resources and training. Lately, dwindling common property resources are driving farmers to take up intensive systems. The dairy scene in India is undergoing changes with newer technologies in breeding, feeding, management and disease control, underlining the need to adopt scientific dairy farming methods. The profitability and sustainability of dairy farming in the semi-arid tropics hinges on increased production and efficiency through the adoption of improved practices that enhance nutrition and livelihood security