1
Introduction

K. Justin Davis1, Sunita Choudhary2, and Tanmoy Rana3

1 Department of Veterinary Epidemiology & Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, Kerala, India

2 Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Rajasthan University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India

3 Department of Veterinary Clinical Complex, West Bengal University of Animal & Fishery Sciences, Kolkata, West Bengal, India

1.1 Introduction

Goats are important domesticated animals in various parts of the globe that have served humankind for centuries. Along with sheep, cattle, and pigs, goats are considered as the first domesticated ungulates and originated from their wild ancestor, the bezoar or Capra aegagrus (Naderi et al. 2008). They were domesticated as early as 10?000?years ago in the area around the Zagros Mountains, western Iran. Ancient farmers used wild goats for milk and meat, dung, bones, and hair. Domestication of goats played an important role in the development of agriculture and civilization (Zeder and Hesser 2000). Currently, goats are spread globally, with more than 300 breeds living on every continent except Antarctica (Kumar et al. 2010). Their extraordinary adaptability to desert, mountainous, and tropical areas along with their hardiness led to their rapid spread. The domestication of goats was favored by their body size, which made them more suitable for management, with their earlier puberty and maturity, greater reproduction rate, social nature, and obedient behavior. These animals re raised for meat, milk, and dairy products, and for fiber and skin products. They are tagged the "poor man's cow" or the "bank on the hoof" because of their role in rural economies. There are a large number of goat breeds that are grouped into meat breeds, dairy breeds, dual-purpose breeds, fiber breeds, and pet breeds based on the utility and purpose of rearing them.

1.2 Global Distribution

The world goat population is 1128.10 million, which places them third in the total livestock population after cattle and sheep. The world population of goats has an increasing trend (Figure 1.1), which indicates huge demand for goat products like chevon (goat flesh), fiber, and milk. Asia is the continent with the highest population, representing 51.35% of the world's total goat population. The majority of the total population (94.5%) is distributed in Asia and Africa (FAOSTAT 2020) and the lowest proportion is in Oceana (0.38%). The population density of goats in particular regions may be due to historical and religious reasons. Chevon is more used in Muslim countries where pork is forbidden. In Asia, the highest population is noticed in India (Figure 1.2) where beef is not among traditional foods.

1.3 Advantages of Goat Rearing

Goats can adapt well in areas where other livestock or crops are not suitable (Figure 1.3). They are opportunistic and selective feeders, which makes them thrive well on depleted pastureland and enables them to convert poor-quality forage (Figure 1.4). They can consume, digest, and extract nutrients from tannin-rich browse. Goats are more able to withstand adverse climate conditions like heat stress compared with cattle and sheep. Their bipedal stance helps them access tree leaves that are considered unavailable to other livestock species. Their better feed efficiency than other ruminant species distinguishes them as a good candidate for farming. Goat rearing does not require specialized shelter structures, which along with reduced labor increases its popularity among farmers (Figure 1.5). To meet the growing demands of the human population, scientists have proposed goats, which are climate-adapted animals and are expected to perform better than other species.

Figure 1.1 Global goat population, 1961-2020.

Figure 1.2 Country-wise distribution of largest goat producers in 2020.

Figure 1.3 A flock of goats.

1.4 Goat Milk and Products

Goat rearing is a major source of income for poor farmers and women in rural areas, especially in developing countries. Goats are considered as the "poor man's cow" and are kept for milk, meat, fiber, or fertilizer. They can thrive well on difficult terrains with a small amount of feed, which, along with their small size, makes them suitable for farming with reduced maintenance costs. Dairy goats are fewer in number than dairy cows, but they contribute 1.3% of world total milk production, while milk produced by cattle is 83.1% (Mazinani and Rude 2020). Dairy goats can produce 2.8-3.8?l of milk daily during their peak lactation time.

Figure 1.4 Goats grazing in a field.

Figure 1.5 An owner with his goat.

Goat's milk production is showing an increasing trend due to increased demand for goat's milk and related products. There is a well-organized market for goat's milk in Europe, especially in France, where the goat sector is dedicated to milk production and cheese making. Goat's milk can be a replacement for those who suffer from an allergy or intolerance to cow's milk or other animal milk protein. It is a source of fat, lactose, protein, minerals, and vitamins. Goat's milk is easily digested and more similar to human milk than cow's milk. Fat globules in goat's milk are smaller and have different casein types that are easier to digest. Goat's milk can be used for the preparation of different products like dried milk, cheese, fermented milk, desserts, sweets, whey products, and so on. Cosmetic products are also produced from goat's milk, including soaps, creams, body lotions, shampoos, hair conditioners, and aftershave lotions, which are marketed in many countries such as the United States and Switzerland (Ribeiro and Ribeiro 2010).

1.5 Chevon

Goats are reared mainly for chevon, goat meat, which serves as a source of fat, amino acids, and several micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals including zinc and iron (Webb 2014). China and India are large chevon producers at 2.3 and 0.55 million tonnes, respectively. Goat meat is rich in essential amino acids, low in cholesterol, high in protein, and a good source of iron. The world consumption of beef is higher than that of chevon, especially in western countries, but goat meat can serve as a great source of protein to humans, especially in developing countries, hence the goat populations are higher in those countries. Per capita meat consumption approximately doubled from 20 to 43?kg globally from 1961 to 2014, with marked variations in direction and rate among countries (Ritchie et al. 2017). Countries that underwent a strong economic transition had the highest variations. China saw a 15-fold increase since 1961 and the rate in Brazil nearly quadrupled, whereas the rate stayed same in India with per capita consumption less than 4?kg per person. Chevon can act as a staple food in countries where there are restrictions on other red meats such as beef and pork. These include Muslim countries where pork is forbidden and in India where beef is not considered a traditional food. China ranks first in production of chevon, followed by India and Pakistan. Most of the goat meat produced is consumed locally in the communities of developing countries, as the market structure has not = developed to trade within the country and internationally.

1.6 Fiber and Other Products

Fiber from goats includes both cashmere and mohair produced by cashmere goats (selectively bred) and angora goats. Cashmere goats produce a double fleece known as guard hair and down hair. Down hair or cashmere gives protection from cold and guard hair covers the animal's body. China and Mongolia are two of the leading producers of cashmere. Cashmere fibers from the beautiful, soft, durable, bright, and elastic downy undercoat of the goat are desirable to the textile industry (Shakyawar et al. 2013). Each animal can contribute from 500?g to 1?kg/head cashmere annually, which can be used for making clothes and fabrics. Mohair is quite different from cashmere, as there is only one type of fleece which does not require dehairing as in cashmere production. One goat can produce around 5-8?kg of mohair a year. It is lustrous, long, and coarse, and is suitable for knitwear, apparel, curtaining, upholstery material, shawls, socks, and accessories.

Tanned leather from goat skin is used for products that require soft hide like gloves, bags, and boots. It has been used for leather book binding and untanned goat skins were traditionally used as containers for water, kefir, wine, and so on (Skapetas and Bampidis 2016). The Black Bengal breed is considered as a high-quality goat skin producer.

Goat manure contains macronutrients as well as micro elements that can be used as an organic soil fertilizer (Sunaryo et al. 2021). Goat manure is considered an excellent source of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which are essential for plants.

Goats, especially...