Buffalo are excellent animals in their ability to adapt to challenging environments, disease resistance, and the quality of the milk and meat they produce. After cows, they are the world’s second most important dairy species. South Asia is the home of about 74% of the world’s buffalo population. In southeast Asia, buffalo play a significant role in milk and meat production in India, Pakistan, and Nepal. Despite being in the same geographical situation, Bangladesh lags behind the neighboring nations in buffalo production. In addition, Bangladesh is one of the countries noticeably most vulnerable to the ongoing climate change in the world. Sea level is rising, and coastal regions are facing calamities like cyclones and increased salinity, resulting in a substantial reduction of feed sources availability required for livestock production. Buffalo may cope with these situations better than dairy cows because of their ability to utilize poor-quality roughages and survive grazing in saline coastal areas where agricultural production is minimal. Therefore, in 2019, a project was undertaken to investigate the potential to mitigate the effects of climate change on dairy production by a sustainable water buffalo dairy chain in Bangladesh. This project was financed by the Swedish Research Council. Partner organizations in this consortium include the National Veterinary Institute (SVA) and Swedish University of Agricultural University (SLU), Sweden; Utrecht University (UU) and Wageningen University and Research (WUR), The Netherlands; University of Milano (UNIMI) and National Reference Center on water buffalo farming and production hygiene and technologies (CReNBuf) of Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, Italy; Sylhet Agricultural University (SAU) and Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (CVASU), Bangladesh. Survey data gathering, laboratory experiments, and significant data analysis have been finalized within this project. For sharing our findings, and experiences and obtaining feedback from different stakeholders, an international workshop will be held on March 2 -5, 2024, at BCDM, Savar, Dhaka Bangladesh.
The anticipated participants are
- Experts from home and abroad
- Academia and researchers from veterinary schools
- Veterinary surgeons/ field veterinarians
- Selected farmers (buffalo farmers and dairy farmers interested in buffalo farming)
- Delegates from milk processors
- NGOs
- Members of the DLS and BLRI
- Members of the Consumers Association and BSTI
- BSTI
- Postgraduate students
Our findings will be discussed by buffalo specialists, sparking further discussion among the attendees. The experts’ inputs will benefit the practitioners, farmers, academics, policymakers, and researchers participating in the event. During the workshop, small group discussions will be set up where practitioners, farmers, policymakers, and researchers will challenge our findings. These interactions will inspire them to mitigate the deficiencies in Bangladesh’s buffalo-rearing systems, field practice, and further development initiatives. Local field and laboratory data and expert perspectives are crucial for developing sustainable buffalo farming to combat climate change. Field veterinary practitioners and buffalo farmers will also be trained to gain practical experience on the farm.
Therefore, the following goals will be the focus of the upcoming workshop
- To present and discuss field data and laboratory results of the project
- To identify the areas with the most potential to enhance buffalo milk production, milk quality, and safety based on our research findings
- To discuss research gaps for a sustainable buffalo production
- To engage the policymakers to foster the buffalo production and the buffalo product chain establishment
- To create consumer awareness about the quality of buffalo milk and meat
- To motivate farmers to shift from cow to buffalo production
- To train buffalo practitioners and farmers in buffalo management
Expected outcome of this workshop will be to
- Research gaps will be identified to implement a sustainable buffalo production
- Farmers will be motivated to shift from cow to buffalo production in the selected areas
- The policymakers will be engaged to enhance the buffalo production and research
- Buffalo practitioners and farmers will be trained in buffalo management
The cover of the Buffalo Management Manual will be presented, and the web page on “Buffalo Management” will also be inaugurated during the workshop.