The paper investigates farmers´ attitudes towards different breeding tools to understand how community-based breeding programs can be better designed. Having a better understanding can help to ensure the sustainability of these breeding programs. Zoma and his team surveyed 125 farmers using questionnaires. The study revealed that the majority of the farmers agreed on the importance of the performance of the cattle, maintaining the features of the different breeds and they were willing to participate in breeders´ associations. Furthermore, some farmers were skeptical on sharing their selected bulls and did not see the importance to record performance data. Their opinion about crossbreeding was largely variable. It was concluded that for different farmers breeding programs for pure breed and for crossbred cattle could be relevant. Also, the establishment of a breeders´ association with clear obligations and roles are important elements to be considered.
Bienvenue Lassina Zoma is currently a PhD candidate at the Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems of University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), under the supervision of PD DI Dr. Maria Wurzinger (BOKU), Prof. DI Dr. Johann Sölkner (BOKU), Mag. Dr. Lorenz Probst (BOKU), Ass. Prof. Dr. Albert Soudré (Université Norbert Zongo, Burkina Faso). The paper is part of his PhD project conducted within the APPEAR project LoCaBreed that aims to contribute to the improvement of the farmers’ livelihood through the improvement of the local cattle breeds of Burkina Faso.
Zoma-Traoré, B.; Probst, L.; Ouédraogo-Koné, S.; Soudré, A.; Ouédraogo, D.; Yougbaré, B.; Traoré, A.; Khayatzadeh, N.; Mészáros, G.; Burger, P.A.; et al. Livestock Keepers’ Attitudes: Keystone of Effective Community-Based Breeding Programs. Sustainability 2021, 13, 2499. doi.org