Socio-Economic Profile and Management Practice Adopted by Sheep Farmers in Dhubri District of Assam

Abstract

A study was carried out among sheep farmers in Dhubri district of Assam on socio-economic status and management practices adopted by them. Altogether 120 numbers of farmers were selected randomly from two blocks of this district. The data were collected through personal interview method with the help of a well-structured, comprehensive and pre-tested interview schedule. Most of the sheep farmers were illiterate and belonged to middle age group. Majority (65.00%) of the respondents had agriculture as their main occupation. Majority (73.33%) of the respondents had low annual income followed by medium annual income (22.50%) and high  annual income level (4.16%). The study revealed that sheep were sheltered during night only. There was no separate housing for the sheep alone. Sheep were let loose in the morning and returned back to the night shelter before evening when there was no crop in the field. During flood, the animals were shifted to an elevated area and were mostly fed with tree leaves such as jackfruit, mango, neem, guava, banana, and babool. During rainy season, when most of the fields were waterlogged, they even graze in knee deep condition in marshy land. Due to grazing in marshy land during rainy season, they were highly prone to parasitic infection particularly liver fluke infection. During flood, most of the sheep died due to severe starvation. Majority of the farmers reported two breeding seasons in sheep viz. June-August and January-March. None of the farmers vaccinated their sheep in the study area. Hence, there is an urgent need to adopt improved management practices to exploit the production potential of this local sheep. By adopting improved management practices, better growth could be achieved, which will ultimately increase the income of the rural poor.