Indian shepherds benefit from international research

A gene discovered in Australian Merinos and traced back to the Indian Garole breed is now being used in India to help raise the incomes of poor shepherds.

The “Booroola fecundity” (or FecB) gene promotes the birth of twin lambs. Over the past 10 years, Indian and Australian scientists have been working with shepherds in the State of Maharashtra in an effort to increase the productivity of their flocks by using a variety of methods – including the introduction of the FecB gene from the Garole breed.

The project, funded since 1998 by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), culminated earlier this month with an international workshop in Maharashtra that confirmed the success of the strategy in that State and supported its extension to other parts of India.

Link to media release:

http://blog.une.edu.au/news/2008/11/28/indian-shepherds-benefit-from-int...