Across India and many developing countries, rural livestock development projects have become one of the most widely adopted approaches for strengthening livelihoods among smallholder and landless families. Governments, CSR agencies, NGOs, donor organizations and development institutions regularly invest in goat farming, backyard poultry, dairy, sheep rearing and piggery-based interventions with the objective of increasing household income, improving nutrition, empowering wome

As biodiversity loss and climate vulnerability intensify, conventional agricultural models—focused narrowly on productivity and scale—are proving inadequate. An alternative is emerging from the grassroots: social enterprises built around native livestock breeds and integrated farming systems. These enterprises demonstrate that biodiversity conservation and economic viability need not be opposing goals. When indigenous poultry and goat breeds become the foundation of social bu