TANDOJAM:Sindh Agriculture University (SAU) Vice Chancellor Dr Mujeebuddin Memon Sehrai on Wednesday urged scientists, researchers and experts to develop research projects for the development of farmers community to cope with challenges of climate change, food security and malnutrition. He said agriculture is a mainstay of the Pakistan economy but the role of the livestock sector cannot be ignored, which contributes more to GDP than crops.
The SAU VC was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of a two-day workshop on mineral molasses blocks (MMBs), a nutrition mixture of minerals and vitamins to help improve nourishment and productivity of ruminant animals, began here on Wednesday at Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam.
The event, jointly organized by EU-funded Programme for Improved Nutrition in Sindh (PINS), government of Sindh, Sindh Rural Partners Organization (SRPO) and Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam, attracted researchers, community herders, nutrition experts and representatives of Sindh provincial government departments.
The Vice chancellor said that the University is already working on animals’ feed and fodder resources, and germ-plasm conservation in animals. He added that the farmer’s awareness, mobilization and transfer of MMB technology to grassroots level would support arid zone communities to improve the nutrition status of their cattle, and thereby the nutrition of livestock keepers and their families.
John Ashley, the nutrition-sensitive specialist with the EU-supported Programme for Improved Nutrition in Sindh (PINS 1) said that almost all ruminant livestock in Sindh Province are likely to be under-nourished, due to deficiencies in micronutrients (minerals and vitamins) and protein in their food intake.
This is because the normal diet of rough graze or browse comprises plant material, rich in carbohydrate and fibre but poor in protein and micronutrients, comprising an unbalanced diet.
Ashley said micronutrient deficiencies in ruminants lead to sub-optimal metabolism/ physiology and hence low growth rate, slow development/time to reach marketable size, low resistance to infectious disease, slow sexual maturation, poor milk yield, sub-optimal fertility rates and pregnancy outcomes etc. Even the quality of meat and milk is poor, lowering nutritional benefit to those consuming it, he added.
PINS is already providing support to the multi-sectorally designed Accelerated Action Plan for the Reduction of Stunting and Malnutrition in Sindh (AAP), being implemented in 24 districts of the province. AAP aims to sustainably improve the nutritional status of children under five (U5) and pregnant and lactating women (PLW) in Sindh, in line with the second target indicator of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No2, which relates to hunger and undernutrition.
These milking animals are an important source of nutrition for minor-age children and their mothers in rural areas of the province.
Ms. Zahida Detho, Executive Director of the Sindh Rural Partners Organization (SRPO) in her introductory remarks said “if we want to improve rural economy, we should empower community youth”. She highlighted the issues of rural women and their role in livestock management. She said that women are caring for small ruminants like sheep and goats at small scale level, and MMB would be beneficial for them. She said all training related to goats and sheep will be successful at the time, when it will empower rural women, who are the natural custodians of herds and grazing fields.
Prof Ismail Kumbhar, a well-known researcher and the MMB focal person at SAU, appreciated the efforts of EU for facilitating the Government of Sindh’s effort to improve the nutrition status of the Province through technology interventions at grassroots level. He added that this technology would support rural women through improving goat rearing and management entrepreneurial practices at small scale, and transformation of the community through technology interventions which will bring a revolution for poverty alleviation through promoting the rural economy.
Dr. Muhammad Ismail Memon of Department of Veterinary Medicine at Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam talked on introduction to livestock farming system in Sindh, ruminant nutrition and link with human nutrition. He said that Sindh is major province for production of the crops and higher population of livestock as compared to KP and Baluchistan.
There is sufficient number of small and medium farmers and a large number of these farmers are poor, they keep their livestock for drought and milk and meat purposes.
The population of all major species of livestock cattle, buffaloes, sheep and goats has constantly increasing over the years. Growth rate is different for various species, buffalo is higher than cattle, he said.
Other speakers brought a wide range of experience to the workshop – in livestock and agriculture management, entrepreneurship, nutrition status of animals linked to human nutrition. The debate has thrown new light on diverse topics, especially the emerging subject of MMB preparation.
Community herders, hailing from arid zones, during Group work shared their problems about livestock management, loss of vegetation, depleting natural grazing fields and alternative nutrient feeds, which practical hands-on experience drew attention of the other participants in the workshop. At the start of the workshop, a documentary was shown about the importance of MMBs and the step-by-step process of making MMBs, prepared by the SRPO team.