Ilse Köhler-Rollefson, H. S. Rathore and E. Mathias. Tropical Animal Health and Production. 22 Nov 2008.

Abstract

In South Asia, and throughout the developing world, the predominant official approach to livestock development has been improvement of production by means of upgrading local breeds via cross-breeding with exotic animals. This strategy has led to the replacement and dilution of locally adapted breeds with non-native ones. This has resulted in an alarming loss that has been estimated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to amount to one breed every two weeks. Based on selected case studies this paper argues that development strategies using locally adapted breeds and species are much more likely to benefit livestock keepers whilst also maintaining domestic animal diversity and bearing a smaller ecological footprint. It also analyses the rationale for “Livestock Keepers’ Rights”, a principle that grew out of the struggle of traditional livestock keepers to retain control over their production resources, such as grazing areas and breeding stock, in the face of unfavourable policy environments.

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The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has recognized the contribution of smallholders and pastoralists to the development, use and conservation of animal genetic resources.

FAO's Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture presented a 42-page paper detailing the role of livestock keepers in developing and maintaining breeds at an intergovernmental working group on animal genetic resources in Rome on 28-30 January 2009.

The paper highlights the value of these breeds, the genes they contain and the ecosystem services they provide (such as maintaining landscapes, preventing fires and restoring soil fertility). It warns about the dangers to local breeds from the promotion on exotic breeds, the spread of uniform, mass-marketed animal products, and the extension of cropping into marginal grasslands.

The League welcomes FAO's support of these ideas, which have long been promoted by LPP and the LIFE network.

Click here to download the full paper.

The League for Pastoral Peoples and Endogenous Livestock Development (LPP) will be a member of a panel discussion on "the crucial role of genetic resources in ensuring food security in a changing climate" at the United Nations in New York on 13 May 2009.

The discussion is hosted by the Nordic Council of Ministers at the UN headquarters as part of the 17th session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development. It will be preceded by presentations by the Global Crop Diversity Trust and the Southern Africa Plant Genetic Resources Centre. Other panellists include the Food and Agriculture Organization and the WorldWatch Institute.

LPP founder Ilse Koehler-Rollefson will represent the League.

Visit www.norden.org/CSD17 for details.

The Yves Rocher Environmental Foundation has awarded its 2009 Trophée de femmes to LPP founder Ilse Koehler-Rollefson.

"The start of her engagement was a meeting with camel herders in Rajasthan," says the foundation's website. "They told her about their difficult situation and she discovered that the root of their problems was the loss of their traditional grazing grounds."

Since then, Ilse has campaigned for offical recognition of the role herders play in conserving biological diversity. "Pastoralist cultures are keepers of important knowledge about how people can interact with nature in a sustainable way," she says.

Click here for more (in German)

The BBC's Susie Emmett discovered why ancient nomadic ways are still relevant with the Maasai in Kenya and Raika in Rajasthan.

These two radio programmes were broadcast as part of the series One Planet on the BBC radio World Service on 26 Feb and 5 Mar 2009. They were produced in collaboration with LPP and its India partner Lokhit Pashu-Palak Sansthan, and feature interviews with LPP's Ilse Koehler-Rollefson and LPPS's Hanwant Singh Rathore.

In the Indian segments, Susie Emmett talks to Raika pastoralists, visits a dairy making "Desert Dessert" (camel milk ice cream promoted by LPPS), and checks on camel prices at the annual Pushkar camel fair.

Click here to listen to the programmes.

The fourth edition of News from Drynet has three articles relating to LPP:

• Obliterated African animal cultures leave behind genetic treasures. LPP project coordinator Ilse Köhler-Rollefson visited South Africa in December 2008, and learned that indigenous livestock breeds have been given a new lease of life by commercial breeders.
• Livestock Keepers’ Rights and Niche Marketing Workshops in Cape Town, South Africa: A report on LPP's back-to-back workshops on Livestock Keepers' Rights and on niche marketing from local livestock breds.
  
• LPPS launches an innovative product : Paper from camel dung: LPP partner Lokhit Pashu-Palak Sansthan's world first eco-friendly paper.

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"It is remarkable to see the interconnectedness of the economy in vivid relief," says The Economist. "Today's story... involves the cross price elasticity of demand between oil and...well, just read for yourself."

The article quotes LPP's Ilse Koehler-Rollefson and LPPS's Hanwant Singh talking about the price of camels in Rajasthan.