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Animal Husbandry extension is virtually non-existent in the State and, if at all, is limited to giving advice to farmers in a fashion not conducive to secular livestock growth. However, for an operation, in the scale presently envisaged, according to the new plan policy an effective interface between the participating community and various actors likely to be involved in delivery of services has become imperative. In view of the new livestock sector policy and its requirement, the Animal Husbandry Extension will be reoriented and redesigned to help the small producers/farmers and solve their problems.
The central concern of the livestock development and management policy is the overall well-being of the livestock keepers and in particular of the weaker sections and of women. Further, people are primarily responsible for the development and management of livestock. The Director, AH & VS can only facilitate and support. Therefore, improved productivity of livestock and improved quality of the livestock keepers are possible only if policies focus directly on people and policy instruments are directed towards building their capacities for vibrant, competitive, informed and responsible participation in very aspect of the livestock sector.
The approach towards livestock development will change from delivery of pre- packaged services to participatory process of planning, implementation and monitoring of development, based on people’s knowledge, access and control over resources, their development aspirations and their perceptions regarding what risks they are willing and able to take as livestock entrepreneurs.
Since women are key stakeholders in livestock management, they will become much more visible in livestock development. They will have much greater access to and control over resources, technology, credit and decision making. Further, the benefits that flow out of livestock development will serve much better the needs and aspirations of women. Women will be supported to enter the public domain of livestock development and management such as co-operatives, breeders associations through training and exposure programmes.
The various organizations and institutions responsible for promotion and facilitation of livestock development will have more equal representation of women at all levels. The culture and environment within these organizations and institutions will be made responsive and sensitive to the needs of women. They will pro-actively build systems and procedures that are gender friendly and enable women to perform.
Since the policy is also concerned with questions of equity, the organizations and institutions involved in livestock development will develop greater sensitivity to the development aspirations of the marginalized communities such as SCs and STs. They will develop special programmes to capacitate them for equal participation in the overall livestock development process.
To translate these concerns into realities the following areas will receive focused attention:
a. Extension
Improved productivity and returns to people will be crucially dependant on the quality of extension services. The focus of extension will be on improved capacity of people. This capacitating calls for access to information, innovative and appropriate technologies, skill and knowledge building to access and control technologies, exposure to success stories, building leadership, on farm experimentation, building effective people’s organizations, supporting these organizations with access to technical and financial institutions, markets, etc. Such capacitating requires integrated, need-based and timely delivery of services as close to the people as possible. Quality extension will be ensured by strengthening and streamlining the extension structure of the Director, AH & VS and by equipping personnel of the Department with proper attitude, knowledge and skills regarding extension, gender and equity. Such training interventions must be dovetailed with human resources and institutional development policies that value human resources as the most crucial. Extension will be restructured to promote convergent approach involving various technical training , the financial service organization, delivery of quality services at the doorstep moving from free services to payment for quality and timely services. Subsidies will be used as policy instruments to promote livestock development and management along more productive and equitable directions.
Rather than imposing technical innovations from above and outside, an incremental approach will be adopted based on people’s knowledge, capacities and resources. Extension services will not only include livestock productive related activities; it will spread into areas related to the quality of life of the producers.
b. Training
Training will specifically address attitude, knowledge and skill development of personnel of support organizations, leader of community based organizations and livestock keepers. In addition, training will aim at orienting community leaders and influential persons such as teachers so that they can promote livestock development along these policy directions. Training curricula and programmes will be developed basing on appraisal of performance and training needs assessment at all levels. Training programmes will include induction training, refresher courses, training of trainers, exposure programmes, thematic workshops and seminars, exchange programmes and specialized training programmes. Specialized training will be given to persons who have to perform critical function in areas such as policy making, MIS system development and management, convergent approach, promoting and managing community based organizations, gender, etc. Training programmes will also include areas such as personality development, interpersonal relationships, problem solving, organizational management, participatory planning and review. Adequate resources for human capacity development will be mobilized both from Departmental budgets and from external sources such as Central Government, bilateral and multilateral aid etc. Wherever feasible, collaboration will be sought with other Departments and institutions so that maximum use will be made of scarce resources.
The planning, co-ordination, implementation, monitoring and impact assessment of training will be entrusted to the HID-cell of the Director, AH & VS. Its personnel and personnel of training institutes such as Veterinary Officers Training Institute (VOTI), Livestock Inspectors Training Centers (LITCs) and Frozen Semen Bank (FSB) will be specially equipped and supported with adequate resources to carry out training functions efficiently and effectively. Basic professional training of veterinarians will remain as the responsibility of the Veterinary College of OUAT.
c. Human Resources (HR) and Institutional Development (ID) Policies.
Training alone and in isolation may not guarantee enhanced performance and improved participation. Therefore, HR policies and programmes will be developed and linked to ID in areas such as recruitment policy, basic and refresher training, gender policies in recruitment and placement, more effective use of women resources, transparent performance appraisal systems and systems for rewards and recognition. The HID cell of the DAH & VS will facilitate the translation of these policy concerns into plans and programmes.
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