Animal genetic resources (AnGR) in Mozambique

Abstract

Mozambique is a country on the eastern coast of Southern Africa, where livestock plays an important role in the agriculture sector, due to its contribution to socio-economic development and poverty reduction. Given the variations in climate, soil fertility, rainfall pattern and altitude among the different areas, the country is divided into ten agroecological regions, each one with its own characteristic production systems and livestock breeds. In the family sector, livestock is mostly composed of indigenous breeds: Landim cattle, goats, pigs and chicken, Angoni and Bovino de Tete cattle breeds and Pafuri goat. In order to restore the quantity and quality of the genetic resources of indigenous breeds and promote their conservation and sustainable use, the country is carrying out several actions and activities, including public awareness campaigns about the importance of indigenous breeds and the need for their conservation, inclusion of AnGR issues in the curriculum of universities and agricultural colleges, characterization of AnGR collection and conservation of semen from native bulls.