Dushanbe, 29 April, 2024(GNP): The hills outward the Tajikistan capital Dushanbe, shepherd Bakhtiar Sharipov was overseeing his herd of giant Hissar sheep.
The breed, prized for financial viability and an ability to adapt to climate change, garners star status in the Central Asian country, which is plague by a shortage of both meat and suitable grass land.
“They swiftly gain weight even when there is little water and pasture available,” 18-year-old Sharipov said.
Encountering a serious decaying to farmland due to years of overgrazing and global warming, the hardy sheep offer a potential boon to Tajikistan’s farmers and plentiful supply of mutton to consumers.
Around 250 of the animals instantly recognisable by two fatty lumps on their rear end – were grazing in the early spring sun under Sharipov’s watch.
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“These weigh an average of 135 kilograms (300 pounds). It’s the end of winter, so they’re not as heavy, but they’ll put on weight rapidly,” he said.
A white Central Asian shepherd dog, almost as large as the sheep he was overseeing stood on guard.
The largest Hissar rams can weigh over 210 kilograms (460 pounds).
Able to yield meat and fat of around two-thirds their total weight more than most other species many of which also consume more they can be highly profitable for farmers.
“The Hissars are a unique specie first because of their weight,” Sharofzhon Rakhimov, a member of the Tajik Academy of Agricultural Sciences .
“moreover these sheep never stay in the same place so they contribute to improving the land’s ecosystem,” he said.
They can roam up to 500 kilometres (300 miles) in search of grazing land between seasons, helping pastures in different regions regenerate.
The decline in land quality is one of the main environmental challenges facing Central Asia.
Approximately 20 percent of the region’s land is already declined , affecting 18 million people, according to a United Nations report.
That is an area of 800,000 square kilometres (nearly 310,000 square miles), equivalent to the size of Turkey.
The dust stirred up by the arid ground can fuel cardio respiratory diseases.
Tackling a hit to their livelihoods as their land becomes ever less productive, many farmers choose to emigrate.
