Farmers are trying out different options to improve the feed management in dairy animals. They are looking at options which reduce costs and at the same time do not affect the milk yields. The participatory technology development process provided a farmer centered extension mechanism, enabling knowledge enrichment, for farmers as well as for researchers.

Investments in strong institutional arrangements in common property resources can contribute to better access to fodder and water for the poor livestock keepers. A strong institution and collective action has helped improve commons, thereby improving the livelihoods of poor livestock keepers in Udaipur region.

Sheep are the gift to dryland farmers by nature which can yield returns within 1.5 years of investment, says Veerakempanna. Veerakempanna of Anoor village in Chikkabalapur district, like any other dryland farmer in Karnataka, unable to meet the ends with dryland farming alone, was
supplementing his income by rearing some local breeds of sheep.

Maintaining the availability of adequate feed for livestock is crucial to small holders who depend on their animals for their livelihood. Traditionally, efforts to improve the quality and availability of fodder have focused on technology, but the Fodder Innovation Project is revealing that streghtening interactions among the various actors involved brings even better results.

Goats are increasingly seen as a threat to the ecology as they feed on any type of plant species. But goat keeping continues to be an important livelihood activity for the resource poor people. BAIF has promoted a number of initiatives with twin goals of helping small farmers in rearing goats and also protecting the environment.

Farmers in mixed crop-livestock systems produce about half of the world

The Brahmaputra Valley region has a unique landscape, with the Brahmaputra River and other rivulets running between the parallel hill ranges. The valley gets flooded during the monsoons, which deposit a large amount of silt and debris on the riverbeds.

Forests provide grasses and tree leaves for livestock. However, for hilly population, livestock rearing mechanism and food production systems are closely integrated in the forest ecosystem i.e. forest provide feed and fodder, while in return livestock supply draught power and manure as well as milk and meat as a source of cash income to the farmers.

A field experiment on dual purpose barley was conducted to study the effect of row spacing and time of cutting on grain yield of barley varieties on a loamy sand soil during Rabi 2006-07 and 2007-08 at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana.