Comparison of production systems and selection criteria of Ankole cattle by breeders in Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda

Abstract

A survey in Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda was conducted in order to determine the different production systems under which Ankole cattle are currently kept. Additionally, selection criteria of livestock keepers were documented. In Burundi, Rwanda and parts of Uganda, livestock keepers are sedentary and herds are small, whereas in the other areas Ankole cattle are kept in large herds, some of them still under a (semi-)nomadic system. Milk is the main product in all areas, and is partly for home consumption and partly for sale. Although the production systems vary in many aspects, the selection criteria for cows are similar. Productive traits such as milk yield, fertility and body size were ranked highly. For bulls, the trait 'growth' was ranked highly in all study areas. Phenotypic features (coat colour, horn shape and size) and ancestral information are more important in bulls than in cows. The only adaptive trait mentioned by livestock keepers was disease resistance. In areas of land scarcity (Burundi, Rwanda, western Uganda), a clear trend from pure Ankole cattle towards cross-bred animals can be observed.

Genetic and morphological characterisation of the Ankole Longhorn cattle in the African Great Lakes region

“…These differences can be further accounted for by the particular indigenous selection criteria of the herd Genetic and morphological characterisation of the Ankole cattle owners from central Uganda and north-western Tanzania, who tend to emphasise aesthetic traits more than what the cattle owners of the other sub-populations do. These findings are also consistent with the observations made by Wurzinger et al [38], who found that appearance-related features such as coat colour and horns were ranked highly as selection criteria mainly in the Uganda Central and Kagera areas.…”

“…Among the different ethnic groups in the study areas, morphological size traits and those of aesthetic value play different but equally important roles in the selection decisions made by herd owners. Indeed, aesthetic traits were highly ranked as selection criteria by the herd owners from the three central Ugandan sub-populations, as documented by Ndumu et al [22] and Wurzinger et al [38].…”

“…The different Longhorn cattle races mainly go by the same tribal names as their owners, and they include the Bahima cattle found in south-western half of the Cattle Corridor of Uganda, the Kigezi cattle from the south-western Ugandan highland, the Ntuuku cattle from the Lake Albert region of the Albertine Rift Valley in Uganda, the Watusi and Inkuku cattle from Rwanda, the Inyaruguru and Inyambu cattle from Burundi, the Enyambu cattle kept by the Banyambu people of north-western Tanzania, the Malagarasi Ankole ecotype kept by the pastoralists of Tutsi descent in the Malagarasi river valley of western Tanzania and the Bashi cattle kept by the Bashi people of north Kivu in DR Congo. The production systems under which the cattle were kept are described elsewhere [38], while the ecological descriptions have been reported by Grimaud et al and Okello et al [12,25] and are therefore not covered here. Traditional production systems require multipurpose animals, capable of providing a wide range of products and services.…”

“…Traditional production systems require multipurpose animals, capable of providing a wide range of products and services. The Ankole Longhorn cattle of the Great Lakes region provide employment and are a source of income; the cattle are a form of insurance and accumulation of wealth; they have an important social and cultural role such as dowry payment as well as other intangible values [38].…”

“…Like other breeds in the region, the genetic diversity of Ankole Longhorn cattle is under threat from indiscriminate crossbreeding, breed substitution, accelerated admixture from other local breeds, epizootics, famine and civil strife, as well as from a lack of systematic breed development programmes [38].…”