Mahipatsinh Rajput

The livestock production is an integral part of mixed farming systems practiced in the entire length and breadth of India. Furthermore, while vulnerability to climate change has hardly been documented in the context of India; experimental studies have been conducted on effects of season and climate on production, performance and other physiological parameters of dairy animals. The average daily milk yield of the crossbred animals in the hot-humid eastern part of India was significantly reduced by the rise in minimum temperature and not maximum temperature, as rise in minimum temperature crossed the critical temperature of comfort while the maximum temperature was already above the comfort zone. The estimated annual loss at present due to heat stress among cattle and buffaloes at the all-India level is 1.8 million tonnes, that is nearly two per cent of the total milk production in the country, amounting to a whopping over Rs 2,661 crore. Livestock owners adopt various type of management strategy during adverse climatic conditions. This study will help in documenting those strategies which will reveal their traditional knowledge and coping methods etc.

India is a vast country with diversified agro-climatic conditions. Livestock rearing ensures maximum employment and there by an important source of income to rural population. Dairy farming is an important subsidiary agricultural activity in Gujarat and even a main source of income and employment generation in many parts of North Gujarat. The varying size and varying characteristics of dairy farmers have problems of varying nature. Many factors influence the patterns of livestock farming and its profitability. Looking to the present scenario, it is considered worth essential to "work out" profitability of the dairy farmers in dairy farming and factors associated with profitability. The present study was conducted in Banaskantha, Sabarkantha andGandhinagar district of North Gujarat. Two talukas were randomly selected from each selected district. From each selected taluka, villages were selected at random and from each selected village, 10 respondents were selected by random method, thus making a list of total 180 dairy farmers for data collection. The research study was under taken with broad objective to assess the profitability of milk production of dairy farmers in dairy farming.