Dynamics of small ruminant development in Central Java-Indonesia

Small ruminants are an important but neglected resource in developing countries. Small ruminant production systems are complex. The multiple goals related to small ruminants, combined with the complexity of their management, and the resources and social arrangements involved, make small ruminants keeping an enterprise that is inherently difficult to study and to understand. This study analysed the behaviour of small ruminant production systems in order to understand their development prospects in different agro-ecological zones in Central Java, Indonesia. Three districts of Yogyakarta Province, Central Java-Indonesia, were selected to be the research sites, namely Bantul (lowlands), Sleman (middle zone) and Kulon Progo (uplands) districts. The data were gathered by studying literature to obtain primary and secondary data on small ruminant development, interviewing farmers and key persons, group meetings, field observations and monitoring feeding practices, animal performances and marketing strategies, and laboratory analyses on air and water qualities inside and around small ruminant houses. During about one century of small ruminant development in Indonesia, the role of small ruminants has remained more or less the same, whereas major changes occurred in the types of animals kept, in animal numbers and in farmer's management. Driving forces for changes in small ruminant systems have acted at different aggregation levels. The intensification of land use has resulted in major changes in management. In the middle zone and uplands the majority of small ruminants are kept in confinement, whereas in the lowlands small ruminants are mainly kept in a combination of grazing and confinement. Farmers referred to their small ruminants as a saving (tabungan in Javanese) that provides security and helps to accumulate capital, which in turn helps to reduce hunger and buffers against periodic drought. Manure was the second main reason for keeping small ruminants. The supply and demand of sheep and goats fluctuated throughout the year. The demand for and price of small ruminants increased dramatically during the weeks before Idul Adha, the feast of sacrifice. Farmers do not seem to profit from this increased demand. Farmers rarely sell their animals directly on the small ruminant market or to the consumers. The housing of small ruminants close to the family quarters resulted in very high levels of faecal coliform bacteria and total coliform bacteria, two groups of bacteria used as indicators for water contamination caused by manure. It is unlikely that small ruminants will become a main income earner in rural households. If households have sufficient family labour for the management of small ruminants, small ruminants are an appreciated secondary activity. Efforts to improve small ruminant production need to be facilitated by stronger institutions, local empowerment and regulation of access to resources. The local government, scientists, extension workers, and farmers themselves have to work together, because improving small ruminant production means that farmers have access to reliable and affordable support services, offering them access to knowledge and inputs, including credit and marketing information.