Livestock breeds serve as the organizational unit for animal genetic resource (AnGR) conservation. Farmers' knowledge has been recognized for its contribution to the identity and characterization of local breeds, yet if farmers are to contribute to in situ AnGR conservation, their own ideas about livestock biology need to be included in breed assessments. The objective of this study was to understand how Gambian farmers' classification of sheep and goats related to local ideas about phenotypic inheritance. While farmers trace breed membership to the nanny, trait dominance is attributed to the sire line. This distinction allows farmers to depict outcrossing as a form of breed diversification while underreporting its occurrence within village flocks. The study findings suggest that farmers' understanding of trait transmission has relevance for in situ AnGR conservation, as saving a breed by name may not ensure the persistence of its associated trait profile.
ArnoldM.L. (2006), Evolution through Genetic Exchange, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
3.
AyantundeA.A.KangoM.HiernauxP.UdoH.M.J.TaboR. (2007), ‘Herders' perceptions on ruminant livestock breeds and breeding management in southwestern Niger’, Human Ecology, Vol 35, pp 139–149.
4.
AyantundeA.A.AsseR.SaidM.Y.FallA. (2014), ‘Transhumant pastoralism, sustainable management of natural resources and endemic ruminant livestock in the sub-humid zone of West Africa’, Environment, Development and Sustainability, Vol 16, No 5, pp 1097–1117.
5.
BentleyJ.W. (1989), ‘What farmers don't know can't help them: The strengths and weaknesses of indigenous technical knowledge in Honduras’, Agriculture and Human Values, Vol 6, No 3, pp 25–31.
6.
BlenchR. (2005), Conservation of Indigenous Livestock: Sustaining Biodiversity for Current and Future Generations, CGIAR System Research Priority Area, Marrakech.
7.
BoutraisJ. (2007), ‘The Fulani and cattle breeds: Crossbreeding and heritage strategies’, Africa, Vol 77, No 1, pp 18–36.
8.
BrushS.B. (1981), ‘Dynamics of Andean potato agriculture’, Economic Botany, Vol 35, No 1, pp 70–88.
9.
ClevelandD.A.SoleriD. (2007), ‘Extending Darwin's analogy: Bridging differences in concepts of selection between farmers, biologists, and plant breeders’, Economic Botany, Vol 61, No 2, pp 121–136.
10.
DarwinC. (1840), Questions about the Breeding of Animals, Society for the Bibliography of Natural History, London.
11.
de VriesD.LeslieP.W.McCabeT.J. (2006), ‘Livestock acquisition dynamics and nomadic pastoralist herd demography: A case study among Nginsonyoka herders of south Turkana, Kenya’, Human Ecology, Vol 34, No 1, pp 1–25.
12.
DruckerA.G.ScarpaR. (2003), ‘Introduction and overview to the special issue on animal genetic resources’, Ecological Economics, Vol 45, pp 315–317.
13.
FAO (2007), The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (RischkowskyB.PillingD., eds), Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome.
14.
FAO (2009), Livestock Keepers: Guardians of Biodiversity, Animal Production and Health Paper No 167, Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome.
15.
GoossensB.OsaerS.KoraS. (1997), ‘Long-term effects of an experimental infection with Trypanosoma congolense on reproductive performance of trypanotolerant Djallonke ewes and West African Dwarf does’, Research in Veterinary Science, Vol 63, pp 169–173.
16.
GoossensB.OsaerS.KoraS.ChandlerK.J.PetrieL.ThevasagayamJ.A.WoolhouseT.AndersonJ. (1998), ‘Abattoir survey of sheep and goats in The Gambia’, Veterinary Record, Vol 142, pp 277–281.
17.
GoossensB.OsaerS.NdaoM.Van WinghemJ.GeertsS. (1999), ‘The susceptibility of Djallonke and Djallonke-Sahelian crossbred sheep to Trypanosoma congolense and helminth infection under different diet levels’, Veterinary Parasitology, Vol 85, pp 25–41.
18.
GrasseniC. (2007), ‘Managing cows: An ethnography of breeding practices and uses of reproductive technology in contemporary dairy farming in Lombardy’, Studies in History and Philosophy of Science, Part C, Vol 38, No 2, pp 488–510.
19.
HallS.J.G. (2004), Livestock Biodiversity: Genetic Resources for the Farming of the Future, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford.
20.
HofmannL.BoermaD.ScherfB. (2011), ‘The global plan of action for animal genetic resources: The road to common understanding and agreement’, Livestock Science, Vol 136, pp 7–14.
21.
HollowayL.MorrisC.GilnaB.GibbsD. (2011), ‘Choosing and rejecting cattle and sheep: Changing discourses and practices of (de)selection in pedigree livestock breeding’, Agriculture and Human Values, Vol 28, pp 533–547.
22.
ILCA (1979), Trypanotolerant Livestock in West and Central Africa, Volume 1, International Livestock Centre for Africa, Addis Ababa.
23.
ILRI (2010), Sustainable Management of Globally Significant Endemic Ruminant Livestock in West Africa: Gambia Baseline Report, International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi.
24.
ITC (2004), ‘Diversity and admixture in West African goats’International Trypanotolerance Centre Newsletter, No 1/2, pp 5–7.
25.
JabbarM.A.SwallowB.M.RegeJ.E.O. (1999), ‘Incorporation of farmer knowledge and preferences in designing breeding policy and conservation strategy for domestic animals’, Outlook on Agriculture, Vol 28, No 4, pp 239–243.
26.
JaitnerJ.SoweJ.Secka-NjieE.DempfleL. (2001), ‘Ownership patterns and management practices of small ruminants in The Gambia – implications for a breeding pro-gramme’, Small Ruminant Research, Vol 40, pp 101–108.
27.
Kohler-RollefsonI. (1997), ‘Indigenous practices of animal genetic resource management and their relevance for the conservation of domestic animal diversity in developing countries’, Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Vol 114, pp 231–238.
28.
KrätliS. (2007), ‘Cows who choose domestication. Generation and management of domestic animal diversity by WoDaaBe pastoralists (Niger)’, unpublished PhD dissertation, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, Brighton.
29.
KristjansonP.M.SwallowB.M.RowlandsG.J.KruskaR.L.LeeuwP.N.D. (1999), ‘Measuring the costs of African animal trypanosomosis: The potential benefits of control and returns to research’, Agricultural Systems, Vol 59, pp 79–98.
30.
MarshallK. (2014), ‘Optimizing the use of breed types in developing countries livestock production systems: A neglected research area’, Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Vol 131, pp 1–12.
31.
MarshallK.EjlertsenM.PooleJ. (2011), Sustainable Management of Globally Significant Endemic Ruminant Livestock in West Africa (PROGEBE): Estimate of Livestock Demographic Parameters in The Gambia, ILRI Research Report 28, ILRI, Nairobi.
32.
MurrayM.TrailJ.C.M. (1984), ‘Genetic resistance to animal trypanosomiasis in Africa’, Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Vol 2, pp 541–551.
33.
OsaerS.GoossensB.CliffordD.J.KoraS.KassamaM. (1994), ‘A comparison of the susceptibility of Djallonke sheep and West African Dwarf goats to experimental infection with two different strains of Trypanosoma congolense’, Veterinary Parasitology, Vol 51, pp 191–204.
34.
RawlingsP.CeesayM.L.WacherT.J.SnowW.F. (1993), ‘The distribution of the tsetse flies Glossina morsitans submorsitans and G. palpalis gambiensis (Diptera: Glossinidae) in The Gambia and the application of survey results to tsetse and trypanosomiasis control’, Bulletin of Entomological Research, Vol 83, pp 625–632.
35.
SambattiJ.B.M.MartinsP.S.AndoA. (2001), ‘Folk taxonomy and evolutionary dynamics of cassava: A case study in Ubatuba, Brazil’, Economic Botany, Vol 55, No 1, pp 93–105.
36.
SoleriD.ClevelandD.A. (2005), ‘Scenarios as a tool for eliciting and understanding farmers' biological knowledge’, Field Methods, Vol 17, No 3, pp 283–301.
37.
SteglichM. (2006), ‘Participatory assessment of local cattle breeding systems: The case of The Gambia’, unpublished PhD dissertation. Humboldt University, Berlin.
38.
WacherT.J.RawlingsP.SnowW.F. (1993), ‘Cattle migration and stocking densities in relation to tsetse-trypanosomiasis challenge in The Gambia’, Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Vol 87, No 5, pp 517–524.
39.
WeinerD. (1999), ‘Ethnogenetics: Interpreting ideas about diabetes and inheritance’, American Indian Culture and Research Journal, Vol 23, No 3, pp 155–184.
40.
ZaibetL.TraoreS.AyantundeA.MarshallK.JohnsonN.Seigmund-SchultzeM. (2011), ‘Livelihood strategies in endemic livestock production systems in sub-humid zone of West Africa: Trends, trade-offs and implications’, Environment, Development and Sustainability, Vol 13, pp 87–105.
