Goats
Goats are the lifeblood of many people in the topics and sub-tropics and their importance cannot be overestimated. Of more than 450 million goats found in the world, over 350 million are found in developing countries where they are often blamed for, and associated with overgrazing, particularly in the more arid regions of the world. However, this is often a misreading of the situation: it is frequently the case that the goats are surviving in areas that are already degraded because they are the only livestock that can survive under those harsh conditions. There is a wide range of goat farming systems in developing countries, ranging from those practiced by nomads to intensive forms of production for meat and milk, although in the main goat production tends to be extensive. Most goats are of the hair type and the principal product is meat, although fibre production, such as mohair, is important in certain countries. The meat produced by goats is low in fat and has no social or religious taboos attached. Goats are often run in mixed flocks with sheep and are able to survive where climatic conditions are too arid, or soil too poor to sustain other livestock or crops. Their relatively small size makes them a more convenient source of meat than cattle. Goats is a valuable guide for anyone involved with breeding and maintaining goats, either as a flock or as part of a small holding. It covers all aspects of goat rearing, beginning with the origins and history of goats, their population and distribution worldwide. Chapters on different breeds, nutrition and feeding, reproduction and kid rearing, health and routine husbandry are followed by others on the use of goat meat, fibres and skins, and milk production. The text is presented in a clear and easy-to-read style, and is well-illustrated throughout with diagrams and photographs. Goats by Mike Steele 1996 152pp ISBN 0 333 52309 1 is a further title in the The Tropical Agriculturalist series produced in cooperation with Macmillan and available from CTA
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| Format: | News Item biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
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Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation
1996
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/47357 http://collections.infocollections.org/ukedu/en/d/Jcta63e/ |
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