Raziq, A. Technical Manager Alain Dairy Camel farms Alain UAE

24th February, 2016 Muscat Oman

CAMEL GENETIC RESOURCES ARE THE BEST TOOL TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Preamble

• Arabian Peninsula/ the adjoining regions are among the red marked areas

• severely affected with creeping desertification and climate change calamities

• Sustainable farming and food production is a serious question and alarming fact

• Centuries before, nature heard the plea of thirstiest lands and gifted highly adapted animal genetic resource (the camel)

• Initially, domesticated for its precious and sustainable milk, but later on used for other causes centuries long.

Continue….

• The onset of the 21st century sensitized the importance of desertification, global warming and climate change

• many scientists realized/appreciated the importance of camel in this scenario

• Many groups and organizations started advocating camel as a tool of sustainable food production.

• Numerous scientific findings have been published on different aspects of camel during this period and new institutes and farm came in existence.

• The camels’ milk especially getting admiration at global level and is advised by physicians for many health ailments.

• New camel dairies came in existence in different parts of the world and UAE is playing the leading role with the state of art camel farms and dairies.

• Conference on animal genetic resources in the region by Oman is a great opportunity

The white Kohi can browse at high level Desert Marrecha camel long eye lashes Kharani, Majaheem, Khuara, Brela etc produce more milk

WELL ADAPTED

Camel and Challenging Calamities Its adapted mechanisms allow to withstand

prolonged water deprivation

Tolerate high temperature, especially in the absence of readily available water

The camel retort to hot arid conditions by reducing urine production, urine absorption, sweating economically (increase body temperature, storage of CO2 and

glucose in the muscles)

Camels can survive up to 14 days without water (tolerate 30% water loss)

Its browsing habits make it a tool for food security, especially in climate change scenario (As

grasses, forbs, herbs are the first prey of drought and climate change)

Camel Importance in Challanging Environmet

Sweating economically by an increase body temperature and by the ‘storage' of CO2 and glucose in

the muscles Camels can survive up to 14 days without water and can tolerate water losses of up to 30%. A camel may drink more than a third of its body weight as it rehydrates 6-8 Celsius body temperature change

Adaptive heterothermy The ability of an endothermic animal to allow its body temperature to fluctuate in response to some form of environmental stress.

Saving significant amounts of energy and water.

Maximum fluctuation during 1 day: 6,2 °C

Unique in Farm Condition

• High temperature does not effect

• No need of additional water and energy for cooling

• Cheaper housing or even no housing

• No bedding is required . Sand is the bed

• Less water in parlor management (dry dung)

• Bacterial load of milk is far lesser than acceptable level for cows

Camel milk! A Gift of theDessert

Camel produces reasonableamount of milk in a verylow or even zero inputproduction system

Camel is Versatile

Type of Animal Produce

Draught Wool/Hair Milk Meat Fat

Camel + + + + +

Horse + _ _ _ _

Sheep _ + + + +

Goat _ + + + _

Cattle + _ + + _

Donkey + _ _ _ _

Yak + + + + _

Integral Part of our Culture

Camel milk! A Gift of the Dessert

CULTURE

Transformation of development mode

More Milk •Selection For Milk

Efficient Milk •Milking Ability

Reliability •Genetic Studies

Transformation of development mode

high yield

quality

efficiency

eco-environ

ment safety

EXOTIC BREED FAILURE

Modernized farming facilities and standardized farming operations ◇ Shift towards more practical, price-competitive, standardized, comfortable and efficient facilities

TMR (total mixed ration) fattening farm

TMR mixer

TMR fattening farm of high-end beef cattle

Cattle house with roller blinds

Cooling facilities

Water heating technology

2012/7/22 此 处为页脚文本

Ventilation installation

P 22

空气进入填补部分真空区域

进风口 风机

Camel Farming is Opposite

QUANTITATIVE TRAITS OF INDIGENOUS

BREEDS

• Lactation curve • Actual yield and the factors affecting • Especially for neglected species like camel and goat • Correlation with inputs systems

y = -0.4276x2 + 3.9468x + 2.6123

R2 = 0.9767

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2

4

6

8

10

12

14

1 2 3 4 5 6-8

Parity

Ave

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ilk

pro

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POOR DOCUMENTATION AND WRONG DECISIONS

•Characterization is poor

•Mainly in institutions and universities

•With complex scientific jargons

•The breeders are not involve in process

•Leading to faulty decisions

•Cross breeding and import of north gene

•No module for assessment of indigenous breeds

Concentration livestock genetics industry

ECO FRIENDLY

OLD CIVILIZATIONS AND LIVESTOCK BREEDS

Excavated bull seal from the ruins of Mehergarh and present day Bhagnari bull

Old civilization and Morak goat

MORAK BREED IS VERY CLOSED TO ITS WILD ANCESTORS The pastoralists like the breed close to wild ancestors because of many reasons, i.e. disease and drought resistance and production in hostile environment

Close to wild ancestors

Which make those animals resistant to: Droughts Diseases Diversified Long walks Season and climatic variations

POOR DOCUMENTATION AND WRONG DECISIONS

• Characterization is poor

• Mainly in institutions and universities

• With complex scientific jargons

• The breeders are not involve in process

• Leading to faulty decisions

• Cross breeding and import of north gene

• No module for assessment of indigenous breeds

COMMUNITY’S BREEDS DOCUMENTATION AND REPORTING MODULE (new concept)

1. Social and cultural context • Local perceptions about the origin of the breed • Breeding institutions (tribes/communities etc) • Local terminology and ethnotaxonomy (IK) 2. Ecological and production context • Breeding area • Topography • Local farming system

COMMUNITY’S BREEDS DOCUMENTATION AND REPORTING MODULE

3. Livelihood significance • Products and uses • Production performance (quantitative) • Reproductive performance (BCS, drought resistance) 4 Management of the gene pool • Local preferences (breeding goal) • Phenotypic markers assisted selection (black tongue, eyes color, tail position etc) • Special characteristics • Breeding system (period, dry & wet season etc) • Identification of top breeders

COMMUNITY’S BREEDS DOCUMENTATION AND REPORTING MODULE

5. Population

• Population estimate

• Population trend

• Baseline data (household etc) 6. Sustainable use and conservation

• Pressures (social impacts, drought, urbanization)

• Interest in conservation by the local community

DOCUMENTATION AND REPORTING (DAD-IS) of FAO

• Origin

• Breeding goals

• Population, trends and potential

• Distinctive/special traits

• Quantitative traits

• Phenotypic characteristics

• Conservation efforts

• Relevant institutes

COMMUNITY-BASED CONSERVATION

• In-situe • Cheap • Easy (no western technical support) • Resilience • Secure • Demand driven • Consumer friendly (continuous change) • Wide range of gene • Sustainable • Responsible way (hand over to the next generation) full bucket of gene • Breeding goals are multifunctional

Silver Lining in the Clouds

• ISOCARD resulted in significant development on camel research and publications

• CA in many countries minimizing the gaps

• World Camel Day (I floated this idea)

• Ever increasing demand in camel milk

• International drivers! Healing with camel milk, what took you so long, Camelait, Camelicious, Tviski etc.

• Camel is a unique biological model for research

CONCLUSION

• Policy level change, national, regional and international

• Lobbying (Camels4Life) • Shifting of funds • Strengthening of communities • Breeders rights • ABS of the CBD • Institutional policy change