Abstract :
Increasing population pressure, land scarcity and diminishing production resources are
promoting goat production in the tropics. Dairy goat breeding (DGB) projects have been
implemented by development agencies, governments and the private sector with the objective
of improving the dairy merits genetically through crossbreeding with exotic genotypes.
The performance of these projects is still a cause for concern. Therefore, sustainable dairy
goat breeding forces various stakeholders to re-orient their breeding goals, strategies and
design of breeding programmes towards a sustainability perspective. This paper highlights
a set of key requirements for establishing sustainable dairy goat breeding programmes. Conclusions
are drawn based on the lessons learnt from numerous examples of DGB projects
in East and Central Africa keeping sustainability concerns insight to inform on-going and
future projects.
