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Participatory investigation of goat farmers’ breeding practices, trait preference, and selection criteria in Burkina Faso

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Abstract

The community-based breeding program (CBBP) is an innovative approach recommended for genetic improvement and sustainable use of animal genetic resources in extensive farming systems. Successful implementation of this approach requires an understanding of the characteristics of production systems, breeding objectives, and farmers’ trait preference. This study aimed to identify the selection criteria of goat farmers in rural areas of Burkina Faso and their potential implications in establishing CBBP. Following focus group discussions, a well-structured questionnaire was designed and administered to 372 randomly selected goat farmers in two different agro-ecological zones. A list of traits obtained during focus group discussions was provided to farmers individually, and they were asked to rank the ones they preferentially use to select breeding animals. Statistical tests were conducted to compare data between the two agro-ecological zones. The results showed that the average goat flock per household was higher (P < 0.05) in the Sudanian (15.68 ± 13.76), compared to the Sudano-Sahelian area (12.93 ± 13.3). Adult females were the dominant age-sex group in both areas. Reasons for culling, keeping breeding bucks, and castration practice were significantly different (P < 0.05) among agro-ecological zones. The most important common criterion for selection in the two zones was body size, coat color, and growth rate for the bucks and does, while fertility (0.06) parameters including twining ability (0.18), kidding frequency (0.11), and mothering ability (0.15) were furthermore considered for breeding does selection. These findings provide valuable insights for developing CBBPs tailored to goat production in the study areas.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to all farmers in the study area for their collaboration and the extension workers for their help in collecting data.

Funding

This research was funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in the context of the African Goat Improvement Network (AGIN), Agreement Number/FAIN 58–8042-0–075-F.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unité de Formation et de Recherches Sciences et Technologie, Université Norbert ZONGO, BP 376, Koudougou, Burkina Faso

    Akounda Badjibassa & Albert Soudré

  2. Centre Universitaire de Ziniaré, Université Joseph KI-ZERBO, 03 BP 7021, Ouagadougou 03, Burkina Faso

    Dominique Ouédraogo

  3. Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstrasse 1, 1160, Vienna, Austria

    Pamela Anna Burger

  4. United States Department of Agriculture, Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory, 10300 Baltimore Ave, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA

    Benjamin D. Rosen & Curtis P. Van Tassell

  5. Division of Livestock Sciences, Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Gregor-Mendel Strasse, 1180, Vienna, Austria

    Johann Sölkner

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  1. Akounda Badjibassa
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  2. Dominique Ouédraogo
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  3. Pamela Anna Burger
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  4. Benjamin D. Rosen
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  5. Curtis P. Van Tassell
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  6. Johann Sölkner
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  7. Albert Soudré
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Contributions

JS, CVPT, BDR, AS, APB, and DO initiated the study. AB, DO, and AS collected the data. AB and DO analyzed the data and drafted the manuscript. All authors read, edited, and approved the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Albert Soudré.

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Badjibassa, A., Ouédraogo, D., Burger, P.A. et al. Participatory investigation of goat farmers’ breeding practices, trait preference, and selection criteria in Burkina Faso. Trop Anim Health Prod 56, 35 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-023-03869-w

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