Indigenous Breeds of Cattle, their Productivity, Economic and Cultural Values in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review

The objective of the study is to have a critical review on how indigenous breeds of cattle, their productivity, economic and cultural values affect Nigerians. Present cattle population in Nigeria has been estimated as 15.3 million and breeds of cattle indigenous to Nigeria include White Fulani, Red Bororo, Sokoto Gudali, Adamawa Gudali, Wadara, Azawak, Muturu, Keteku, Ndama and Kuri. A recent survey of pastoralist households in Nigeria revealed that, the pastoralist herd size ranged from 16 to 69 cattle per herd and to maintain a calving interval of 365 days, a cow must re-breed in 80 to 85 days after calving. Cattle singly contribute about 12.7% of the agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Nigeria. The cattle industry provides a means of livelihood for a significant proportion of pastoral households and participants in the cattle value chain in the sub-humid and semi-arid ecological zones of Nigeria. Thus, thousands of Nigerians make daily living from the sale, transport, processing and marketing of pastoral livestock products, including meat, milk, skins and draught power. Some research findings revealed that, the Nigerian cattle industry generates USD 6.8 billion of a potential USD 20 billion annually. Other cultural and economic contributions of cattle include the prestige inherent in their ownership and their place in custom, religion and festive occasions. Recently, cattle have been used as experimental animals such that much of what is known today about milk fat synthesis and the physiological mechanism that is involved, relate to the ruminant on account of its convenience in research.