Unit 7 B

“LIVESTOCK FARMING”
 Livestock are the domestic animals kept to use on a farm and raised for milk, meat and other
products or sale and generate profit.
 Livestock farming is rearing animals for earning money.
 Oldest and most common occupation in Pakistan.
 In rural setups, Livestock Farmers considered respectable.
 Normally every village has “Shamilat” (a common grazing ground) where livestock are allowed to
graze.

IMPORTANCE OF LIVESTOCK FARMING

 Source of Nutritious food (Milk, Meat, Butter, Ghee, Eggs).
 Raw material for Domestic Industries for processing milk, meat and manufacturing leather goods.
 Contributes 10 % to GDP (Gross Domestic Product) higher than crops.
 Contributes to export of Livestock products like Leather is a source of Foreign Exchange.
 Animals are used as draft power in farming process like for ploughing, irrigating (Persian wheel)
etc.
TYPES OF LIVESTOCK FARMING
1. Subsistence livestock farming
2. Commercial livestock farming

Subsistence Commercial Subsistence Commercial Subsistence Commercial

livestock livestock livestock livestock livestock livestock
farming farming farming farming farming farming

INPUTS INPUTS PROCESSES PROCESSES OUTPUTS OUTPUTS

Natural Farms with Feeding Feeding Milk Milk
grazing fields animal sheds,
for fodder ponds and
fodder rooms
Water from Processed Natural Breeding Meat Meat
ponds and fodder Breeding
lakes
Open land Specialized Milking Milking by Wool Wool
labour manually suction
machines
Labour, Veterinary Slaughtering Extraction of Eggs Eggs
women and facilities Hides and Wool
children of
the family
Shortage and Shearing wool Preserving with For personal / For sale and
processing from sheep refrigerating family use earn money
facilities for facilities majorly
animal
products.
Packing ( in
some farms)
Subsistence Livestock Farming:
 Rearing of livestock for family use majorly not for earning.
 There are three main types or ways in which Subsistence Livestock Farming is done.

TYPES OF SUBSITENCE LIVESTOCK FARMING

SPECIFICATIONS SEM-NOMADIC / NOMADIC SETTLED
TRANSHUMANCE /
PERIODIC
MOVEMENT/
SEASONAL
MOVEMENT

Seasonal movement / Continuous /

Nature of Movement Stayed at one place
periodic movement Constant
Everything available
Grasslands / pastures as
at their place
Reason of Movement areas are covered with Water and food
therefore stayed
snow during winters
there.
Arid regions (Thar
Northern mountains and Indus Plains (Punjab
and Kharan Desert),
Areas some part of Western and Sindh)
parts of Balochistan
mountains and valleys
and KPK
Specific Cattles Camels Buffaloes
Animals Sheep, Goats and Sheep, Goats and
Common Sheep, Goats and Poultry
Poultry Poultry

Commercial Livestock Farming:

 Livestock rearing done for earning money.
 It is practiced either on a Small scale by private owners or on large scale by Government owned or
Military farms.

Small-scale Commercial Livestock Farming:

 Bulk of livestock farming products are still supplied by small-scale private owners.
 Such dairy farms kept on vacant plots and often lacking appropriate drainage or water supplies.
 Fodder has to be brought in from nearest crop growing area.
 Valuable by-product, cattle and buffalo dung is collected and dried in circular cakes plastered on any

convenient wall and sold to the market to be used as manure or domestic fuel.
Large-scale Commercial Livestock Farming:
 Large-scale livestock farms such as Australian designed dairy farm for Islamabad and Karachi,
government dairy farm for Quetta and many other military farms.
 To boost livestock production, scientific breeding methods such as cross breeding to increase fertility
rates and better nutritional diets are in use on many of the government farms.
 Early weaving diets have also been introduced for rearing buffalo and cow calves to save milk for
human consumption.
 To improve veterinary facilities, personnel’s are trained and new methods are used on selected farms.

Main Livestock Resources:

i- Cattle:
 Most common farm animals.
 Found approximately all over Pakistan.
 Few in rugged mountains of Balochistan and arid areas (Thar Desert).
 Important farm animals used for ploughing, irrigation (turning Persian Wheel) and transportation
to carry fodder and worker from one to another place.
 Also supply meat and milk
 Traditionally, a pair of bullock is a matter of pride and prestige for farmers.
CATTLE BREEDS
Bhagnari Dhani Red Sindhi Sahiwal Thari
Plains of Sindh and Northern Lower Sindh Punjab Tharparkar
Punjab Mountains
Draft power and
Draft power Provide milk
milk

ii- Buffaloes
 Largest source of milk in Pakistan and produce 70% of the total milk supply.
 Also the source of cheap meat.
 Female buffaloes are only slaughtered when they stop producing milk or get old.
 Sometimes they used as work animal.
 Water loving animals therefore mostly found in canal irrigated areas of Punjab and Sindh or areas
with plenty of water.
 As buffaloes are water loving, heat and cold sensitive therefore not found in extreme North,
Western highlands, rugged areas of Balochistan and desert areas of Pakistan.
 Important breeds are Nilli bar, Ravi and Khundi.
 iii- Goats and Sheep:

 Found almost all over Pakistan.

 Reared for their wool and meat.
 Mutton is preferred over beef thus it has great demand in Pakistan.
 Goats are sure-footed, can survive in a variety of natural topographical and climatic environment.
 They don’t need large grazing fields and can nibble thin grass resultant overgraze which lead to soil
erosion
 Government of Pakistan discourages sure-footed goats as they overgraze.
 Government of Pakistan encourages stall-fed goats as they kept in sheds, food, water etc. but are
not allowed to graze in open fields therefore prevent overgrazing and soil erosion.
iv- Poultry

 Poultry products include chicken and eggs.

 Demand for poultry products has greatly increased in recent years.
 White meat (Chicken) is widely used as it is healthier, cheaper and easily available.
 Commercial poultry found all over Pakistan especially in surrounding areas of large cities to meet
growing demands.

S. Gilgit
Livestock Sindh Punjab KPK Balochistan
No Baltistan
Bahawalpur,
Bahawalnagar,
9 Cattles Tharparkar Dir Lasbela -
Multan,
Rahimyar Khan
Bahawalpur,
Bahawalnagar,
Multan,
10 Buffaloes Hyderabad - - -
Rahimyar Khan,
Faisalabad,
Sialkot
Bahawalpur,
Kalat,
Tharparkar, Bahawalnagar,
11 Goats Dir Khuzdar, Skardu
Sanghar Multan,
Zhob
Rahimyar Khan
Bahawalpur,
S. Kalat,
12 Sheep - Bahawalnagar, Shighar
Wazirastan Khuzdar
Jhang
Advantages and disadvantages of developing Livestock farming in
Pakistan:
Advantages Disadvantages
Sustainable e.g. animal reproduce. Loss of land and water for food crops.
Manure, dung used as natural fertilizer and as a Overgrazing cause soil erosion.
fuel for burning.
Increase export e.g. Leather products etc. Expensive as cows and buffaloes are high priced
and Cost of setting up, fodder and vets bills etc.
Use in processing Industries like milk and meat Low income and profit.
processing.
More food e.g. milk, meat, healthy food are in Some products not of export quality and banned
great demand. by Western countries.
Provide products like hides, horn, bones and wool Disease transfer to humans.
etc.
Source of employment and income. Disposal of waste, problems of cleanliness,
pollution (animal waste)
Problems Faced By Livestock Farming and Their Possible Solution

Problems Solution
Few veterinary hospitals & vaccination Improvement in vaccination facilities to
facilities. Control diseases.
Increase in the number of veterinary
hospitals and Vets.
Education and training.
Programs to fatten cows for milk and meat.
Lack of grazing grounds lead to over grazing. Cultivation of fodder crops by reserving land
or turning agricultural land into grazing
fields.
Grazing un- irrigated fields cause Soil Provision of Irrigation facilities to prevent
erosion. soil erosion and support plant growth.
High prices of animal feed. Subsidiary
Insufficient marketing system leads to less Support price by Government to give
profit and low investment in Inputs. maximum profit to the farmer.
Gap in price of livestock products in Rural Strict monitoring and implementation of
and Urban areas, discourage rural people to Laws by Government to control prices.
practice livestock farming due to low profit
Inadequate storage facilities for meat. Provision of electricity and storing as well as
preserving facilities by Government
Insufficient breeding. Selective breeding and cross breeding for
Primitive breeding methods. better quality animals.
Improvement on livestock research farms.
Unhygienic conditions in animal husbandry Maintaining Hygienic condition during
lead to unhealthy animals. animal husbandry.
Mechanization.
Awareness programs by NGOs, Community
services and Government authorities.