BAIF Development Research Foundation

A Holstein Frisiian cow with a calf, a preferred type for crossbreeding purposes

For the last five decades starting in the late 1960s, the main thrust of BAIF activities has been animal husbandry. This has principally involved artificial insemination (AI) of indigenous Indian cattle breeds with semen from bulls of high milk yielding European cattle breeds such as Jersey and Holstein Friesian.[18] The organization maintains its main research facilities at Uruli Kanchan with a large group of scientists, veterinarians and technical staff. Urali Kanchan also serves as the major semen production station in India. In 2015, the Urali facility produced over seven million doses of semen.[19] Over the decades, BAIF has established AI centres in 16 Indian states such as Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka etc. The organization offers door-to-door breeding services to farmers by employing and training local youth as Artificial Insemination Technicians (AIT). By 2018 the organization had helped nearly six million farmers with improved animal husbandry. The cattle improvement programme has enabled farmers to generate higher income by selling surplus milk and animals.[20] The organization also has programs to improve the quality of water buffalo breeds to obtain better milk yields. Murrah has been the preferred indigenous breed for this program. In arid and semi-arid areas of India such as Rajasthan, BAIF has initiated programs to improve the quality of goat breeds for milk as well as for mutton.[21] The organization also conducts surveys with farmers on best practices for cattle management.[22][23]|

In the 1980s BAIF pioneered the "WADI" agroforestry model for creating fruit orchards in tribal areas of Gujarat with limited rainfall and marginal landholding.[24][25] The success of the program led to it being implemented in the neighboring state of Maharashtra followed later by introduction to 21 other states of India.[26] This model involves establishment of multi-purpose trees around the field periphery along with fruit and/or nut trees in the field. The wide spacing of trees allows continued cultivation of annual crops. The tree planting also involves soil and water conservation measures such as trenches and bunds on the plot. BAIF and allied organizations offer support to the farmers for five years which involves free planting and construction materials, technical assistance, financial compensation for establishment and aftercare in the first three years of the fruit trees, and marketing assistance through farmer cooperatives.[27]

BAIF introduced the idea of self-help groups (SHG) to make insurance facilities available for rural communities. An SHG usually has 109-20 members and works as a financial intermediary. BAIF operates many SHG where conventional insurance facilities are difficult to obtain.[28]

Even as a professionally competent NGO, BAIF has encountered resistance to its services. In one instance, when BAIF expanded its AI services with financial support from the Rajasthan Department of Rural Development, it faced opposition in some districts from the Rajsthan Department of Animal Husbandry (DoAH). To avoid duplication of services, BAIF had to leave areas where the DoAH had subsequently developed insemination facilities. There is also resistance from lower-level government employees in their perception that NGOs are eroding employment security in the government by offering cheaper contractual services.[37]

After more than fifty years of crossbreeding programme all over India, drawbacks of crossbreeding with European breeds such as susceptibility to diseases, high rate of infertility, poor tolerance to heat, high feeding cost, etc. were pointed out by critics in the last decade. In response BAIF started to offer AI with quality native breeds in interior villages with poor access to veterinary services. The unverified claims of A1 milk causing multiple health issues also affected consumer acceptance of milk from crossbred cows. These reports have led to many political and religious groups taking up intensive campaign for prevention of crossbreeding in cattle. The campaign has led BAIF to assess the implication of these campaigns on milk production and income of dairy farmers if raising of high yielding crossbred cows is discouraged.[38] This was compounded by the Indian government's launch of the Rashtriya Gokul Mission scheme in 2014.One of the aim of the scheme was to improve the genetics of local cattle using indigenous breeds, while preventing crossbreeding to discourage the production of A1 type milk. BAIF scientists have countered the claims by showing that only pure-bred Holstein Friesian cows from United States produce A1 milk whereas water buffalo, Jersey cows, and the crossbred ones produce A2 milk.[39][40]