Livestock Farmers' Information Needs, Search Behaviours, and their Impact

Since 2011-12, India’s livestock sector has experienced an unparalleled growth of about 8%, contributing more than 50% to agricultural growth. Given the concentration of livestock resources among smallholders, and the high-income elasticity of demand for animal-source foods, the faster growth in the livestock sector may contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of zero hunger, no poverty, and improved nutritional security. Nevertheless, there is apprehension regarding the sustainability of the recent growth in the livestock sector in the absence of appropriate policy and institutional support. The growth may come under a confluence of pressures, including scarcity of feeds, fodders and water, climate change, and poor delivery of livestock services and information. To an extent, these constraints can be lessened by the timely provision of the right kind of information on animal health, nutrition, breeding, and management, which, in turn, can improve animal productivity by about 15%, indicate findings of this study. Livestock extension in India remains underdeveloped to meet the diverse information needs of livestock farmers. Extension activities account for hardly 2% of the total spending on livestock sector. In this context, it is imperative to enhance the outreach of the public extension system, and strengthen institutional arrangements for the effective delivery of information and services, capitalizing on the existing cooperative network of dairy cooperatives and public-private partnership.