The core of the Indian economy is agriculture. For the majority of Indians, agriculture and livestock rearing provide the majority of their income.
In a report, the Indian government's Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare emphasize that, either directly or indirectly, country's rural population still predominantly depends on agriculture and related areas like livestock breeding.
The majority of Indian farmers use a mixed farming style, which combines crop and animal husbandry. Milk obtained by livestock is used as food and is also a vital source of money. Through the selling of milk, livestock like cows, buffaloes and goat give the people a steady source of revenue. District Chitrakoot falls under the Central Plateau & Hills Region (Bundelkhand) agro-climatic zone. The Bundelkhand agro-climatic zone has been divided into four agro-ecological situations on the basis of soil type viz., sandy, clay, sandy loam and silty clay. District Chitrakoot lies between Lat. 24° 48′ to 25° 12′ N and Lang. 80° 58′ to 81° 34′ E with total population of 991,730 (2011 Census) and literacy 65.07%.
District Chitrakoot is characterized by soil erosion and low agriculture productivity. Water availability is also not very good. Hence, livestock is an important component in drought resilience as it decreases the need for large quantities of water for farm income and helps in managing a sustainable livelihood. Livestock term is used to refer solely to animals which are raised for consumption, and sometimes used to refer solely to farmed ruminants, such as cattle, sheep, buffalo and goats. Ectoparasites are organisms that depend for food, shelter and other basic needs to survive and live on the surface of bigger animals (Rechav & Nutall, 2000).
It has been observed that ectoparasites do not only have direct effects on their host, they may also transmit pathogens, thereby acting as vectors of diseases.