Livestock keeping is most common popular practice in the rural areas of West Bengal among the poor people. It is the integral part of the farming system and finds multiple uses for milk, meat, skins, etc. Livestock rearing in India is mainly practiced as a backyard production system wherein the farmers traditionally rear a few livestock specially for meeting the household requirement. It is an important means of income and employment and helps to alleviate poverty and smooth income distribution. In addition livestock asset can be easily converted into cash, and thus as cushion against shocks of crops failure particularly in the less favourable environment. There is a tremendous scope of promoting their backyard livestock keeping in India into commercial micro enterprises. Apart from rearing of livestock, the livestock based industry has vast scope of generating additional income and employment through its various allied enterprises such as the commercial livestock rearing units, livestock input industry, livestock product processing units and organic livestock production units which can be harnessed for increasing employment and income in the rural areas. These are to be developed through training intervention which aimed at providing basic technical and entrepreneual skill to the rural farmers and unemployed youths.
It is the era of advancement of science and technology, farm practice cannot be done with age old method. The idea of the modern livestock farm practice is nothing but achieve more production with minimum effort and at the same time it is hygienic, environmental friendly, humane and less expensive.
In our university the programme of modernization of livestock farm has been undertaken to enhance the quality of education, training and research for the students. Modernization of University livestock farm with advance technology will demonstrate the young professionals a better husbandry practice as well as will increase the revenue of the university by increasing the production of the farm. It also serves as demonstration farm for the farmers and the entrepreneurs. Sheep unit, Goat unit and Cattle unit are modernized within a campus for better care and management. Modernized drainage system with proper waste management, bio-security measures, regular grooming of the animals are taken care properly. A complete automatic feed plant with pellet feed production facility is developed for getting maximum return with minimum manpower utilization. A computerized weight recording system is arranged to take daily body weight of all the farm animals in shortest possible time and without human error. All modern facilities of disease diagnosis is available in our disease diagnostics unit for early and easy detection of diseases of farm animals. Detection of soil and water quality is done in our laboratory and in field to give benefit to the university as well as farmers for agricultural and fishery farming. There is a Laboratory animal house from where laboratory animals will be easily available to the students for research purpose
Development of one campus integrated duck cum fishery with ornamental fishery using modern technology will certainly give a new dimension in livestock farming. Fodder demonstration field is being used for demonstration to the students as well as for production of fodder. Sprinkler Irrigation system for fodder production minimizes the manpower requirement and in term benefit the university.
It also serves as demonstration farm for the farmers and the entrepreneurs. Sheep unit, Goat unit and Cattle unit are modernized within a campus for better care and management. Modernized drainage system with proper waste management, bio-security measures, regular grooming of the animals are taken care properly. A complete automatic feed plant with pellet feed production facility is developed for getting maximum return with minimum manpower utilization. A computerized weight recording system is arranged to take daily body weight of all the farm animals in shortest possible time and without human error. All modern facilities of disease diagnosis are available in our disease diagnostics unit forearly and easy detection of diseases of farm animals. Detection of soil and water quality is done in our laboratory and in field to give benefit to the university as well as farmers for agricultural and fishery farming. There is a Laboratory animal house from where laboratory animals will be easily available to the students for research purpose.