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Small
Ruminant Breeds in West Asia and North Africa
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Luis Iñiguez
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The West Asia and North Africa (WANA) region is
a known center of diversity for a number of domestic animal species.
There is strong evidence that, more than 10,000 years ago, the domestication
of small ruminants took place in West Asia, and these species subsequently
dispersed to other regions. But how many breeds of goats and sheep
are there in WANA today? How have these survived in the dry environments
of the region? ICARDA and its partners have conducted studies to
characterize the breeds.
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In 1998, ICARDA began an initiative to comprehensively document characteristics of the different small ruminant breeds in WANA and to identify ways in which they serve farmers according to their specializations and adaptations. The next step was to identify ways to manage them more rationally. With the support of the Inter-Center Working Group for Genetic Resources (ICWG-GR), coordinated by the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), ICARDA, in partnership with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), organized a workshop, attended by country representatives of WANA, to discuss a plan for the characterization of the small ruminant breeds. The plan involved three tasks: to produce an inventory of the breeds in the region; to develop a methodological framework to improve farmers' access to improved germplasm by introducing decentralized breeding schemes owned and managed by farmers; and to assess the genetic relationships among breeds using molecular genetic techniques.
In 2000, also with the support of the ICWG-GR, ICARDA commissioned country studies in North Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia) and the major small ruminant producing countries of West Asia (Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey). The studies gave comprehensive descriptions of both the importance of small ruminants in each country and their population sizes and distribution, while simultaneously assessing any threats to genetic diversity. The phenotypic characteristics and, where possible, the genetic characteristics of the breeds were also described.
Diversity of the small ruminant breeds in the region
Sheep
A total of 75 non-repeated sheep breeds were found in the 11 countries reviewed across WANA. There are 28 breeds in North Africa (37% of the total number of breeds) and 47 breeds (63%) in West Asia. Excluded from this tally were breeds with repeated names which had only recently been imported into the region. Also excluded were breeds common to several countries (i.e. Arabi in Iran and Iraq, Karakul in Iran and Turkey, and Awassi in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, and Iraq) and breeds which are assumed to be the same but which have different names in neighboring countries (i.e. Chios in Cyprus and Sakiz in Turkey, Ouled Djellel in Algeria and Queue Fine de l'Ouest in Tunisia). The countries found to have the largest level of diversity include Iran, Turkey, and Egypt, which contained 24, 12, and 12 breeds, respectively. In the first two cases, the large level of diversity combines with the largest small ruminant populations in the region. Egypt, which has a smaller population of small ruminants than Algeria and Morocco, has the third largest diversity of sheep breeds. By contrast, ranking fifth in the population tally, Syria only has one breed of sheep: the Awassi.
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| Sheep with fat tails are suited to environments with extreme fluctuations in fodder availability during the year. | |
The Karakul sheep has its large dispersion in Central Asia, in particular in Uzbekistan and to a lesser extent in Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. The Karakul is also found in Iran and Turkey. It should also be noted that the Tuj sheep from Turkey is probably the same breed as the Tushetian breed from the Caucasus.
With the exception of the Awassi breed in Syria (which is scattered all over the country), in general, the breeds of small ruminants follow well-defined distributions in particular ecological niches, reflecting local adaptations that would be very valuable in improvement efforts if they could be identified and understood. Examples of animals adapted to constrained environments are the Barki sheep and the D'man sheep, which are found in very dry areas of North Africa. Furthermore, most mountain goats are the only animals able to utilize range resources in rugged landscapes. In general the breeds are suited to the conditions found in the dry areas, where long periods of drought cause fluctuations in feed availability.
Most of the breeds are fat-tailed (53 of 75), with a remarkable variability in types of tail. The fat tail is an adaptation that allows sheep to cope better with fluctuations in feed availability; they utilize feed stored as fat deposits in periods of scarcity, and replenish their fat tails in periods of plentiful feed. It is predicted that global warming will cause some dry areas to become even drier. Under such conditions, adaptations such as those available in the breeds of WANA may be extremely valuable.
The distribution of fat-tailed sheep extends from West Asia through Central Asia as far as China and Mongolia. Thin-tailed breeds are more numerous in North Africa. In Algeria and Tunisia only the Barbarine sheep is fat-tailed, while in Morocco all breeds are thin-tailed. The inter-relationships of these breeds constitute an interesting research topic related to the dispersal of breeds after domestication. ICARDA is addressing some aspects of this through its studies on characterization of breeds found in WANA, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. Coincidentally, fat-tailed sheep are well-distributed along the Silk Road, which linked China and Europe and may have resulted in important germplasm exchanges in the past.
Goats
Goat breeds in WANA are less well characterized than sheep breeds. With the exception of the Shami or Damascus goat and some other major breeds, little is known about the goat breeds in the region. Apart from Cyprus, goat producers have also been neglected by development efforts; they are thus considered one of the most vulnerable and resource-poor segments of the livestock production sector.
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| The Jabali goat breed is very common in the highland areas of Syria. |
Considerable genetic diversity is also evident in the goats of the region. With the exception of Shami, if the native breeds of neighboring countries are assumed to be different, even though they may have similar names (i.e. the Baladi goat), there are 32 non-repeated goat breeds across WANA, out of a total of 35 breeds reported. The Shami breed has the broadest distribution in West Asia and is influencing, through crossbreeding programs, the goat populations of Egypt and several countries in North Africa. The four countries exhibiting the largest level of goat diversity are Egypt, Iran, Algeria, and Turkey (seven, five, four, and four breeds, respectively).
ICARDA expects to publish a book by September 2005, with detailed information on the small ruminant breeds in WANA, compiled during the characterization of the breeds in the 11 countries. Most of the information included was collected at research stations or at universities, obtained as a by-product of economic or general production surveys. For the first time it was also possible to collect all information available to assess the risks posed to genetic diversity and the status of breeding programs in each country. It is expected that this information will serve as a valuable foundation for new efforts focusing on the management and conservation of these valuable resources.
| Dr Luis Iñiguez (l.iniguez@cgiar.org) is a Senior Small-Ruminant Scientist at ICARDA. |
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The Jabali Goat in Syria
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| Syria has
a goat population of approximately one million distributed all over
the country and more concentrated in the west and south. The goat
breeds found in the country are the Shami, Baladi and Jabali. The
Jabali is the most common breed in mountainous areas from where its
name is derived. The Jabali goat contributes significantly to the livelihoods of resource-poor farmers through the supply of milk and meat. Farmers raise Jabali goats because of their good adaptation to the harsh and rugged conditions of mountainous environments and their ability to utilize fodder sources that usually would not be reached by other species. Main products Main products obtained from Jabali goats are meat, milk and milk derivates. Milk derivatives include butter, yogurt, labneh (dry yogurt), shinglish, ghee (fat) and jameed (kitha). Breed characteristics The Jabali goat is of medium size with short to medium long ears and a straight nose. The predominant color is black. In a study conducted on 217 Jabali goats, the proportion of black, white and mixed goats was 90%, 4%, and 6%, respectively. All animals observed were horned. Most had curved horns of different lengths. The bucks usually had large spiral shaped horns facing sideways. Males tend to reach the maximum heights at 4 years, while females later at 5 years. Production constraints Feed shortages due to limited grazing land, particularly in winter when the range could be covered with snow; the associated feeding costs to cope with feed shortages; difficulties in marketing milk products because of lack of transportation and low prices offered by the middlemen; and health problems especially those affecting newly-born kids. |
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This study was conducted in collaboration with BOKU University, Austria. |
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© 2008 International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA).
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