Improving dairy production in India's rainfed agroecosystem: Constraints and strategies

A rainfed agroecosystem occupies 68% of India's cultivated area and supports 40% of the human and 65% of the livestock population. Dairy production is an important component of rural development programmes in rainfed areas to improve the livelihoods of farmers. The objective of the study was to characterize the status of smallholder dairy production systems in rainfed areas to generate information that would assist in designing strategies for dairy development programmes. These objectives were achieved by adopting a participatory system approach, which uses diagnostic survey and techniques of participatory rural appraisal. The dairy production systems in rainfed areas are complex and are generally based on traditional and socioeconomic considerations, guided largely by the available feed resources. A scarcity of feed and fodder resources (both quantity and quality), the low production potential of animals, the non-availability of critical inputs or services in time, along with access to capital and markets, were the primary reasons for the low productivity of dairy animals. The study suggests that farmer participation is essential for developing and promoting technical interventions. A favourable policy environment in terms of access to microcredit, assured market and veterinary services will have to be provided, and socioeconomic and technical constraints need to be addressed. Animal health camps and on-farm trials need to be conducted to create awareness among farmers about better dairy production practices.