What is Livestock Farming?

Livestock farming is just the breeding cattle fields and management of domestic animals, livestock for the aim of obtaining their meat and products milk, eggs, leather, etc. It also help the economic activity that involves raising livestock for human consumption and obtaining meat, livestock farming is one of the oldest economic activities of man started by early men. It guarantees food supply, skins, milk, bones, and other animal products without getting to the forest to hunt. Livestock farming includes the breeding of cattle, pigs, sheep, poultry, rabbits, goats, snails, honeybees, and fishes. Others.

And livestock plays an important role in the Indian economy. In India, about 20.5 million farmers depend upon livestock for their livelihood. In India, livestock act as 16% to the income of small farmers households as against an average of 14% for all rural households. Livestock offered livelihood to two-third of rural communities. And it also creates employment for about 8.8 % of the population in India. India has the largest livestock resources. The livestock sector overall contributes 4.11% GDP and total Agriculture GDP of 25.6%.

What are the Benefits of Livestock Farming?

• Livestock farming is playing a very important role in the development of humanity and it continues to occupy a prominent place in the world economy.
• Livestock It gives high-quality food products such as meat, cheese, egg, milk, etc.
• And it helps Other local economic development and benefit directly or indirectly from livestock such as food processing industries tourism and hospitality and handicrafts.
• It helps few farmers productive economic activities that are truly sustainable.
• It creates employment opportunities and gives a source of income.
• Livestock can also serve as some business opportunities for farmers.
• Livestock can help a country to create foreign exchange earnings from the export of livestock products.
• Livestock animals like horse, and donkeys can be used for agriculture activities such as ploughing, harrowing etc.

Types of Livestock Farming

There are different types of livestock farming systems that are differentiated by the production processes that take place in each of them.

Intensive Livestock Farming

Intensive livestock farming is one during which the animals are housed with adequate temperatures, feed, and health care necessary for the assembly of animals to be healthy and faster. During this system, the choice of breeds is formed for various sorts of production. It's both capital and labor-intensive.

Semi-intensive Livestock Farming

Semi-intensive livestock farming is one during which the animals are housed and fed, but are allowed to graze or move around the farm to scavenge within in an indoor area within the farm area.

Extensive Livestock Farming

Extensive livestock farming is one that's administered on large areas of land, like meadows, pastures, or mountains in order that animals graze and cash in on the natural resources of varied areas. It's usually administered with animals that are adapted to the sort of field to which they're intended to require. This technique promotes the conservation of the ecosystem.

Nomadic Livestock Farming

Nomadic livestock farming is characterized by the grazing of animals like cattle on an outsized expanse of land in order that they need a natural diet. During this system, the animals are taken to different lands to eat various foods and resources. This sort of livestock farming is understood as nomadic or semi-nomadic. It's typical of peoples who sleep in arid areas where cultivation is difficult to hold out, as in some territories in Africa and Asia.

Transhumant Livestock Farming

This type of Livestock Farming is one during which the animals are moved to areas whose fields have food, counting on the season of the year. This livestock farming system is extremely advantageous because it increases the fertility of the soils because of the manure of the cattle. The animals prey on various grasses and vegetables and contribute to the dispersal of seeds, among others. At the instant, the transhumant ranch is small practiced. However, it's still administered in various areas of Africa.

Organic Livestock Farming

Organic farming with the help of livestock waste produces the highest quality food without using synthetic chemicals such as pesticides, chemical fertilizers, etc. In addition, animals need a large space and feed to get natural products.

Contribution of livestock to people

Livestock creates a very important role in the economic development of farmers. The Indian farmers maintain a mixed Agri farming system i.e. a different combination of crop and livestock waste act as fertilizer to farm and help so many activities to the farmer. The livestock helps the farmers in many ways.

1. Income: Livestock is a source of income for many farmer families in India especially the below-poverty peoples, who maintain few heads of animals. Cows and buffaloes milk will provide a regular source of income to the livestock our farmers through the sale of milk. Animals like sheep and goats serve as regular income during emergencies period like marriages, treatment persons, children's education, repair of houses, etc. The animals also act as moving assets in banks, and which gives economic security to the farmers.

2. Employment: A huge number of farmers in India being less literate and unskilled and mostly depend upon agriculture for their livelihoods. But agriculture being seasonal in nature could provide work for a maximum of 180 days in a year. The landless and land farmers depend upon livestock for utilizing their la during the agricultural season.

3. Food: The livestock products such as milk, meat, and eggs are a rich source of protein to the farmers of the livestock owners.

4. Social security: The animals offer Social Security to the owners regarding their status within society. The families especially the landless who own animals are better placed than those that don't. Gifting of animals during marriages may be a quite common phenomenon in several parts of the country. Rearing of animals may be a part of the Indian culture. Animals are used for various socio-religious functions. Mostly cows used for house-warming ceremonies, and also rams, bucks, and chicken are a sacrifice to Indian gods during religious festival times. Bulls and Cows are worshiped during various religious festival times.

5. Draft: Agriculture and bullocks are the backbones of Indian agriculture. The marginal and small Indian farmers mostly depend upon bullocks for ploughing, carting, and transport.

6. Dung: In village areas dung is used for various purposes which include biogas, dung cakes, fertilizer, farmyard manure, and plastering material.