干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

Buffaloes are a conspicuous component of the agricultural landscape and rural environments of Asia, in which they occupy an important socio-economic and ecological niche. Potential possibilities of enhancing their contribution to food security and rural prosperity are discussed in the context of their role in Asian farming systems, distribution, ownership, products and services. Whereas in South Asia buffaloes are valued mainly for milk and secondarily for draught power, in East Asia and South East Asia, the species is primarily important for both beef and draught power. Good progress is being made in China and the Philippines to produce triple-purpose buffaloes (milk, meat and draught power). While the irrigated AEZs are the traditional environments of the species, buffalo populations are expanding into arid and rainfed environments where they are largely owned by the landless and small farmers. Four categories of buffalo production systems are indentifiable: - (i) Rural landless systems, (ii) Extensive systems, (iii) Systems combining arable cropping (tethering, communal and arable grazing systems, and cut-and-carry feeding). and (iv) Systems integrated with tree cropping. Of these, the fourth is underestimated and are associated with significant economic impacts. The strategy for development pathways include inter alia the following : priority for increasing buffalo numbers, institutional support for integrated resource use, improved natural resource management, targeting research and development of rainfed areas, the application of systems methodologies and interdisciplinarity, feed resources and nutrition, access to technologies and delivery systems, and improved markets and marketing. Of these, increasing buffalo numbers merits high priority, as also targeting rainfed areas where buffaloes along with small ruminants can serve as the entry point for development and food production. These objectives merit increased institutional efforts, policy framework, resource allocation, research and development initiatives, which together can impact on real benefits to food security and rural communities in Asia.