1.1 Introduction
Livestock production is the largest user of agricultural lands worldwide, a fact that carries a significant imprint on the natural resources in which it sustains its activity (fao, 2015). Livestock uses 30% of the non-frozen land surface for grazing, and 33% of the world agricultural area is dedicated to producing food for these animals (fao, 2006). In terms of water resources, 32% of freshwater is used to provide direct livelihood and economic benefits to at least 1.3 billion producers and retailers (Herrero, thornton, gerber & reid, 2009; thornton, 2010). Between 2000 and 2013, the livestock inventory grew; small ruminants such as sheep and goats grew by 10 and 33%, respectively; for their part, cattle grew by 14% and buffaloes by 21% (FAO, 2015). Likewise, global consumption per capita of products derived from livestock activity has more than doubled in the last 40 years (fao, 2015) and it is estimated that due to the growth of the world population, the trend of better income and urbanization will remain in developing countries (Herrero et al., 2016).
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Livestock provide over half of the value of global agricultural output and one third in developing countries. Rapid growth in demand for livestock products (LPs), in the developing countries, is viewed as a ‘food revolution’. LPs are costly in relation to staple foods, so developing country consumption levels are still low, but increase with rising incomes. Pig and particularly poultry meat consumption are growing fastest. Growth in consumption is at the expense of increasing net imports of all LPs. Increased production, and higher self-sufficiency would save foreign exchange. Livestock also contribute to rural livelihoods, employment and poverty relief. They integrate with and complement crop-production, embody savings and provide a reserve against risks. Some livestock have special roles in traditional culture.
Nigeria is an agricultural country with a large number of domestic chickens and ducks. About 80% of the total population is living in the 68,000 villages of Nigeria, and almost each and every village home holds 6-7 chickens. It is estimated that there are about 153 million chickens in Nigeria (Samad, 2005). There are about one lakh poultry farms in Nigeria, of which 20% rearing 1000 to 50,000 birds and remaining 80% are small in size with 100 to 1000 birds. Currently there are about 130 hatcheries (65 hatcheries with breeding farm) in Nigeria, with two million broilers and 0.3 million layer parent stock which producing 4 to 5 million commercial day-old-chicks per week. The commercial broiler and layer farms are supplying about 0.2 million metric ton of poultry meat and 5210 million table eggs per year in Nigeria (Samad, 2005).
The advancement of poultry industry in Nigeria is interrupted by a number of constraints, of which major one is outbreak of disease causing about 30% mortality of chickens in every year (Ali 2004). The major etiological agents are the microorganisms, parasites, management causes, environmental causes and deficiency of mineral and vitamins. The major causes of microorganisms are Escherichia coli, Salmonella, fungus etc. However, the pathogens discharged from the chicken contaminate the litter, feed, water and thus the nearby birds. The rapid growth of the poultry industry has resulted in the production of massive quantities of poultry wastes. These materials are alternatively viewed as essential soil fertilizers, energetic and nutritive substrates for feeds for animals (Smith, 1974; Jeffrey et al., 1998) but source of infection by pathogenic microorganisms such as Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella and Campylobacter spp (Martin et al., 1998). It is important to know the prevalence and distribution of different bacterial flora in poultry and its environment as many of them may be potential pathogen for poultry. Such information is also required to take necessary actions for the prevention and control of diseases caused by bacterial pathogens.
Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Variability of Blood Protein in Livestock Population and its Implications of Improvement.
1.3 Statement of Problems
The global livestock sector is faced with a three-fold challenge: the need to increase production to meet demand, adapt to a changing and increasingly variable economic and natural environment and, at the same time, improve its environmental performance. While positive effects of grazing systems are locally verified on biodiversity and landscapes, major concerns have been raised about the potential consequences associated with livestock sector growth, including increasing natural resource use and degradation, contribution to global warming, water resource depletion, biodiversity erosion and habitat change. These concerns have resulted in a widespread interest from governments, consumers and industry in the assessment of the environmental performance of livestock production.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to identify the Variability of Blood Protein in Livestock Population and its Implications of Improvement. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To examine the variability of Blood Protein in Livestock Population
- To find out the implications improvement of Blood Protein in Livestock Population
1.5 Significance of Study
This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.
1.6 Scope of Study
The study focuses on the Variability of Blood Protein in Livestock Population and its Implications of Improvement in Nigeria.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
