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Moderated conference on rural advisory services for family farms: 1-18 December 2014

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Fri, 12 Dec 2014 15:50:58 +0100
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This is Dr Mahesh Chander, again, responding to Dr Datta Rangnekar's Message (66).

 

I do have very high regard for the wisdom, rich field experiences and practical approach of Dr Rangnekar who is a source of inspiration for many of us.

 

In addition to the comments of Prakashkumar Rathod (Message 67), I wish to highlight two livestock technologies viz urea treatment of straw and azolla as animal feed! Both of these are excellent in terms of their feeding value (protein), but only in laboratories - in the field these are an utter failure. Yet, urea treatment was promoted among farmers since 1980s in many developing countries. Azolla is the current favorite among research and development institutions including NGOs especially in developing countries like India. Often billions are being spent on promoting such non sustainable (inappropriate) technologies and lessons are hardly drawn from the failures. While large farmers know quickly that there is no substance in these technologies, a subsistence farmer has no choice but to listen and follow what he is being told to do. The demonstrations are done, subsidies or development funds utilized, project tenure over - the resource poor farmers are left to their fate. We find there is hardly any horizontal spread of such technologies, yet it goes on for long! Mostly small scale farmers are victim of such unwarranted propagation of technologies which have operational difficulties in field conditions.

 

The references given here throw enough light on these two technologies, which have implications for livestock extension services in developing countries in particular. Can we save subsistence farmers from such impractical technologies!!

 

Dr Mahesh Chander

Head

Division of Extension Education

Indian Veterinary research Institute, 

Izatnagar (UP) 

India

Phone +91 581 2302391, Fax: +91 581 2303284

Email: Mahesh64 (at) email.com



References: 



- Tamizhkumaran, J. and S.V.N. Rao. 2012. Why cultivation of azolla as cattle feed not sustainable? Indian Journal of Dairy Science, Vol 65, No 4 (http://epubs.icar.org.in/ejournal/index.php/IJDS/article/view/25866)

- Chander, M. 2010. Urea treatment of straw: hugely extolled rarely used. In: Successes and failures with animal nutrition practices and technologies in developing countries, FAO Animal Production and Health Proceedings 11. FAO electronic conference, 1-30 September 2010 (http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/i2270e/i2270e00.htm)

- Chander, M. 2010. Azolla: a sustainable animal feed? In: Successes and failures with animal nutrition practices and technologies in developing countries, FAO Animal Production and Health Proceedings 11. FAO electronic conference, 1-30 September 2010 (http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/i2270e/i2270e00.htm)



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