Broad pattern and reason of sheep rearing: A study on sheep farming in Kashmir

The study was undertaken in the Ganderbal district of the Jammu and Kashmir. Ganderbal district is rich in the mountainous alpine pastures and sheep rearing is the core activity of people living in the high altitudes. There are three Zones based on the altitude and from each Zone, 120 sheep farmers were chosen making a total of 360 for this study. The sheep rearing in the district was divided into two main phases i.e., Migratory and Non-Migratory. Migratory phase is spent on the high alpine pastures of the district and non-migratory phase mild grazing and stall feeding is done. The main reason for the farmers choosing sheep farming as an occupation was the proliferation of the sheep followed by adaptability of the sheep to Kashmir and family business of the farmers. The least preferred reason for farmers to rear sheep include least expensive to start and easier to manage. Infact, there is need for the conservation of the high land pastures scientifically because they form the backbone of sheep rearing in Kashmir.