Changing faces of swamp buffaloes in an industrializing Asia

อังกฤษ

Buffaloes;Bubalus bubalis;Philippine carabao;Swamp buffaloes;Riverine buffalo crossbreeding;Buffalo meat;Buffalo milk;Meat production;Milk production;Buffalo based enterprise development;Industrializing;Asia

Swamp buffaloes are mainly found in East and South Asia and represents 20.51 percent of the world's buffalo population. For centuries, swamp buffalo has played a major role in smallholder mixed farming system, however, the intensification of crop farming coupled with the increased farm mechanization in the past decade diminished the swamp buffaloes' role as source of draft in small farms. Despite this development, their value as source of livelihood and food among rural farming families remains high, and thus, undoubtedly, the direction for its development can be shifted towards improving for meat and milk production. Genetic transformation is pursued thru cross breeding and backcrossing with riverine buffalo breeds. For a wide-scale crossbreeding program to be sustained there are necessary elements that need to be institutionalized, one important item is the establishment of Gene Pool of elite riverine buffaloes coupled with organized selection and testing from where genetic materials for wide-scale crossbreeding will be derived. This has to be complimented with a responsive AI and bull loan systems to ensure proper utilization of superior genetic materials and a scheme to stimulate sustained growth of village buffalo-based entrepreneurship.

[1] Cruz Libertado Concepcion (Department of Agriculture, Nueva Ecija (Philippines). Philippine Carabao Center)