By our reporter.
KASOLWE. For decades, African farmers seeking to boost their livestock productivity faced a difficult choice: expensive, high-maintenance exotic breeds or their hardy but less productive indigenous goats.
Foreign stock from Southern Africa, the UK, and Switzerland promised higher yields but came with exorbitant price tags and stringent management demands that often proved too burdensome and costly for local farmers.
Ultimately, crossbreeding programs designed to merge the best of both worlds fell short, delivering only marginal gains that barely surpassed the benefits of simply breeding indigenous stock.
Now, the National Animal Genetic Resources Centre and Data Bank (NAGRC&DB) has rewritten the script with the development of the Kasolwe Brown Goat. Born from years of meticulous, systematic selective breeding of Uganda’s indigenous goats at the Kasolwe Stock Farm in Kamuli District, this new breed represents a breakthrough in sustainable livestock development.
It is a homegrown solution perfectly adapted to the local environment and the needs of smallholder farmers, promising to revolutionize goat farming across Uganda and the wider Sub-Saharan region.
The Kasolwe Brown’s story is one of resilience and scientific innovation. NAGRC&DB scientists, working closely with local breeders and custodians, spent years identifying and isolating desirable traits from Uganda’s existing indigenous goat population.
The result is a foundation stock of more than 500 goats that consistently exhibit superior productive and adaptive characteristics. Unlike fragile exotic breeds, the Kasolwe Brown thrives in marginal production environments while remaining exceptionally prolific.
This “super goat” owes its prowess to a suite of highly competitive attributes. Farmers like Mr. Tefula in Kamuli and Mrs. Kamaali in Buyende have witnessed firsthand its excellent twinning rates and rapid growth, leading to a significant increase in their herd size and income.
The Kasolwe Brown boasts an average daily weight gain of up to 127g, reaching impressive adult weights of up to 65kg for females and 75kg for males. Its inherent resilience against prevalent diseases like Haemonchosis and Heart Water, a trait noted by farmer Mutiibwa, drastically cuts veterinary costs and boosts profitability.
The breed’s physical characteristics are equally robust. Its shiny, dark brown coat and black mane, along with sturdy limbs, provide natural defenses against parasites and the resilience needed for challenging terrain. A large udder size ensures twins and triplets are well-nourished without additional supplementation.
Rigorous comparative analyses conducted by NAGRC scientists further solidify the Kasolwe Brown’s credentials. The breed has outperformed rivals like the Savanah, Boer, Mubende, Kigezi, and Kalahari in key productivity metrics such as twinning ability, disease resistance, weaning percentage, and adaptability.
This places the Kasolwe Brown not just as another breed but as a potential national flagship, positioning Uganda to become a leader in the regional and international goat market.
Beyond productivity, NAGRC&DB is committed to preserving the Kasolwe Brown’s unique genetic heritage
In a move to safeguard its traits from being lost through irrational crossbreeding, NAGRC&DB has partnered with Makerere University and the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh to conduct advanced genetic research. This collaboration will map the genes responsible for the breed’s environmental tolerance and disease resistance, with these crucial traits slated for conservation in national and regional gene banks.
The story of the Kasolwe Brown is also one of partnership and community. The foundation stock, overseen by Kasolwe Stock Farm manager Daniel Epinyu, is being multiplied to supply farming communities through the newly formed “Kasolwe Goat Breed Society”.
This initiative, a partnership with Kasombereza Farm Solutions, ensures equitable access across Uganda, stimulating enterprise development and strengthening food security for thousands of rural households.
The community’s pride in this homegrown innovation is palpable. Local residents, who once saw male goats targeted by thieves, now benefit from NAGRC’s security measures and anticipate a new reputation for their district as a hub for goat breeding.
The Kasolwe Brown represents more than just a new animal; it symbolizes hope and a tangible path to economic transformation.
Dr. Ssengoye Gordon, NAGRC’s Technical Manager of Production, aptly calls the Kasolwe Brown a “game changer,” while Dr. Katali Benda, head of the goat breeding program, highlights its immense value to farmers and the livestock industry.
With sustained support and adoption, this resilient, prolific breed holds the promise of not only improving household incomes but also establishing Uganda as a net exporter of goat genetic resources, truly transforming the nation’s livestock economy.
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