India's First Digital Livestock Census: A New Era in Animal Husbandry

The 21st Livestock Census in India will introduce a digital approach, deploying mobile devices for enhanced data accuracy. Covering 15 livestock species and focusing on indigenous breeds, the census will also document pastoralist data and gender roles in animal husbandry, serving as a key policy tool.

India is poised to launch its most comprehensive livestock headcount to date, featuring several notable firsts, such as recording data on pastoral communities and gender dynamics in animal husbandry participation.

The 21st Livestock Census, scheduled from October 2024 to February 2025, will involve around 100,000 field officials, mostly veterinarians and para-veterinarians, for detailed door-to-door enumeration across all villages and urban areas, according to an official announcement.

Launched by Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh in New Delhi, the census will, for the first time, employ mobile technology to collect and transmit data, enhancing both accuracy and efficiency.

Spanning 15 species of livestock, including cattle and elephants, as well as diverse poultry such as ostriches and emus, a significant aspect of this survey is its focus on 219 indigenous breeds across 16 species, as recognized by ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources.

Breaking new ground, this census will separately track information on livestock managed by pastoralists while also detailing gender roles in livestock rearing, highlighting the contributions of women to the sector.

Conducted every five years since 1919, the livestock census is a vital tool for policy-making in animal husbandry. The last census was completed in 2019 and has paved the way for this technology-driven edition.

(With inputs from agencies.)