Livestock farming is critical to the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in low- and middle-income, especially in Indonesia. It plays a significant role in ensuring food security, generating income, and providing essential resources such as protein needed to combat stunting, enhance cognitive development, and support overall health. However, livestock productivity in Indonesia remains low due to inadequate breeding practices, limited access to quality genetic resources, and poor management systems. These challenges prevent farmers from fully realizing the potential of their livestock, limiting contributions to both household nutrition and income.

To address these challenges, it is essential to implement effective and targeted strategies that focus on improving livestock productivity. These strategies should include the introduction of genetic improvement programs, such as selective breeding, natural mating, and artificial insemination, alongside robust training on animal health, nutrition, and husbandry practices.

By empowering smallholder farmers of low-middle income through participatory and inclusive breeding programs, Indonesia can strengthen rural economies, enhance food security, and provide the necessary protein resources to support government initiatives like the Makan Siang (Lunch) and Minum Susu Gratis (Free Milk) program. The alignment between breeding programs and national nutrition goals supports the implementation of the program and highlights the potential for agricultural development. Aligning breeding programs with national nutrition goals can improve animal production efficiency, reduce poverty, and foster long-term economic resilience and environmental sustainability.

These are the steps that can be taken to design and implement a breeding program for smallholder farmers with low to middle income:

1. Conduct Preliminary Assessments
To design an effective breeding program, it is essential to begin with preliminary assessments by identifying key livestock species that align with local needs and preferences, such as cattle, goats, poultry, or pigs. This involves evaluating existing breeding practices, herd or flock sizes, and challenges faced by farmers, such as inbreeding, disease prevalence, or feed scarcity. Additionally, as mentioned by Mueller J, in the Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics published in 2015, engaging the farming community in discussions ensures that the program is tailored to their specific needs, preferences, and traditional practices, fostering greater acceptance and participation.

2. Define Program Goals
|Clearly outline program goals, such as improving meat, milk, or egg production; enhancing disease resistance; and increasing marketability. Here's how to assist them:

1. Conduct Participatory Workshops
   Organize community meetings to discuss the benefits of a breeding program. Use visual aids and simple language to explain concepts such as productivity, resilience, and economic gains. Encourage farmers to share their current challenges and aspirations for livestock improvement
2. Assess Needs and Priorities
   Collect data on what farmers see as the most critical issues (e.g., low yields, disease susceptibility), observe farm conditions, herd/flock characteristics, and resource availability. Identify demand trends for their products in local and regional markets.
3. Educate on Breeding Concepts
   Teach farmers the basics of genetics, selection, and breeding goals. Provide examples of successful breeding programs and their impact on productivity and income.
4. Facilitate Goal Setting
   Guide farmers in prioritizing goals such as increasing yields (milk, meat, or eggs), reducing disease susceptibility, and improving reproductive efficiency. Help them weigh trade-offs between goals, such as productivity versus feed cost or resilience.
5. Involve Stakeholders
   Engage local veterinarians, extension agents, and agricultural experts to provide technical insights. Involve farmer groups or cooperatives to ensure collective decision-making and support.
6. Document Goals
   Write down the agreed-upon goals and share them with all participants. Regularly revisit and adjust these goals as the program progresses and new challenges or opportunities arise.

3. Build Farmer Capacity
The FAO in its Animal Production and Health Guidelines mentioned that training programs should be offered to educate farmers on the basics of animal genetics, selection, and breeding techniques, utilizing practical demonstrations and local languages for better understanding. It is essential to promote best practices, such as the importance of preventing inbreeding and ensuring proper nutrition and health management for breeding animals. Additionally, identifying progressive farmers to act as local mentors, or "farmer champions," can help spread knowledge and encourage the adoption of improved practices within the community.

4. Strengthen Access to Quality Genetics
To improve breeding outcomes, establish local breeding centers (VBC = Village Breeding Centre) that provide superior breeding stock for crossbreeding or artificial insemination (AI), partnering with government or private companies to supply initial animals. Additionally, introduce AI services by training technicians to offer cost-effective breeding solutions, utilizing AI to introduce improved genetics while ensuring adaptability to local conditions. To further enhance breeding efforts, facilitate shared ownership of high-quality bulls or bucks for natural breeding, and implement periodic rotation of males to prevent inbreeding.

5. Improve Herd and Flock Management
Farmers should be taught how to select and retain breeding stock with desirable traits, such as growth rate, fertility, and disease resistance. To support this, simplify record-keeping tools that allow farmers to track breeding, health, and production data effectively. Additionally, focus on the importance of good nutrition and regular health checks to improve reproductive success and overall livestock productivity6.

6. Foster Collaboration and Partnerships
Fostering collaboration and partnerships is essential for the success of a breeding program. Encourage farmers to form local cooperatives for shared resources, breeding stock, and knowledge exchange. Additionally, establish public-private partnerships by collaborating with government veterinary services, and private companies to secure support and resources. Engaging academic and research institutions, such as universities and research centers, is also crucial to develop breeding strategies suited to local conditions and providing the necessary technical expertise.

7. Create Sustainable Financing
To create sustainable financing for the breeding program, seek government support or institutional funding sources (e.g., banks) to subsidize the cost of superior breeding stock or operational expenses. One potential avenue is through the  the government's microloan program (KUR), which provides low-interest loans to smallholder farmers and entrepreneurs. By leveraging KUR, farmers can access affordable credit to invest in high-quality livestock and necessary breeding infrastructure. Additionally, adopting a core farmer model or closed-loop system, where large agribusinesses or cooperatives provide inputs, and technical support, and buy back the produced livestock or products, can ensure a stable market for farmers. This model also facilitates the sharing of knowledge and resources, creating a more self-sustaining cycle for smallholder farmers. Through these financing strategies, the program can achieve long-term viability while improving productivity and economic outcomes for farmers.

8. Value Chain Development
To enhance the success of the breeding program, it is crucial to focus on value chain development by connecting farmers to markets to ensure they have access to profitable outlets. Certification programs should be promoted which can significantly increase the profitability of their products. Additionally, improving transport and storage infrastructure, including the development of a cold chain system, is essential to ensure the efficient and safe distribution of livestock products, preserving quality from farm to market. The government's involvement in certifying breeding stock and supporting cold chain logistics will further streamline the process, ensuring that products meet market standards while reducing post-harvest losses and improving overall market access for farmers.

9. Monitor and Evaluation
Monitoring and evaluation are critical to the success of the breeding program and should involve regular assessments to track productivity improvements. These mechanisms are equally important, enabling farmers to share their experiences, insights, and suggestions for program adjustments. Collaboration with government agencies (Dinas Peternakan) and universities are vital in this process, as they can provide technical expertise, mentorship, and support in designing robust evaluation tools, analyzing data, and ensuring the program aligns with broader development goals.

10. Examples of Specific Breeding Programs
The recommended approach for breeding programs varies based on the desired outcome: for producing pure superior breeds, a closed nucleus breeding program is ideal as it maintains genetic purity and consistency within a controlled population. In contrast, for developing crossbred superior breeds, an open nucleus breeding program is more appropriate, as it allows for the introduction of external genetic material, facilitating genetic diversity and the combination of desirable traits from multiple breeds. For effective crossbreeding programs, the government needs to establish clear regulations regarding the selection and composition of livestock breeds used in the process. These regulations should align with national breeding objectives, ensuring that crossbreeding efforts are strategically guided to achieve specific goals, such as improving productivity, adaptability, and overall genetic quality of livestock in Indonesia. A combined selection method, integrating conventional quantitative approaches and molecular techniques, can be recommended for the Livestock Breeding Centre Area (Kawasan Sentra Perbibitan Ternak or KSPT),  or the Palm Oil and Cow Farm Integrated System (SISKA) and Community Breeding Program (CBP) models, depending on available facilities, funding, and human resources.

In conclusion, the success of implementing an animal breeding program for low- to middle-income smallholder farmers in Indonesia depends on several key factors. First, fostering community ownership by actively involving farmers and ensuring they feel responsible and engaged in the program. Second, promoting sustainability by adopting practices that boost productivity while protecting the environment. Third, ensuring cultural relevance by designing approaches that respect local customs and preferences. Finally, scalability is crucial—starting small, demonstrating clear benefits, and gradually expanding the program ensures long-term success. Addressing these factors will help improve livestock productivity and support better livelihoods for smallholder farmers across Indonesia.

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Prof. Dyah Maharani, Ph.D. is a professor of animal genetics and breeding at the Faculty of Animal Sciences at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM). Her research and impact activities emphasize the importance of sustainable livestock practices and the development of effective genetics and breeding models, particularly tailored to local livestock in Indonesia.

The views expressed in this article are those of the authors.