By Aanya Kataria, Aniket Dewangan, Anubhuti Mahanta, Jia Narayan, Karthikeyan Shiju and Tanya Zener
Disclaimer: The authors are students of the Young Researchers for Social Impact (YRSI) Program conducted by Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC). The views expressed in this study are solely those of the authors and do not represent the views of YLAC as an organisation.
Small livestock farming is a common livelihood for rural communities. However, much like other industries, the livestock industry has been heavily impacted by climate change. The manifestation of these negative consequences is observed majorly in rural areas, where farmers have little access to the resources and financing required to combat the impacts of climate change on their small livestock holdings. In India itself, more than 20.5 million people depend on small livestock for their livelihood, and this is an issue that urgently needs attention.
How does Climate Change Impact Livestock?
Climate change affects livestock both directly and indirectly. Temperature, humidity, and air quality are major factors affecting livestock.
Excessive heat, the most significant factor, causes reduced appetite and gut motility in animals. This decrease in appetite leads to lower feed conversion efficiency and a reduction in daily weight gain. Secondly, heat stress also leads to lowered reproductive and breeding rates due to an increase in embryonic death and a decrease in oestrous periods and fertility. Males too, exhibit a decline in semen quality, testicular volume, and quantity of fertile sperm.
Climate change also indirectly impacts the health of livestock. Forage production decreases as climatic conditions fluctuate. Higher temperatures and dryer conditions reduce the concentration of nutrients in soil and increase the lignin in plant tissues which reduces the overall digestibility of the fodder. Lastly, more frequent droughts lead to less water in rural areas, severely affecting the animals’ biological processes as they require a continuous supply of water to undergo thermoregulation and prevent dehydration.
The National and International Policies Relating to this Issue
India has implemented several policies to promote sustainable livestock farming, like the National Action Plan on Climate Change, the National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture, the National Policy for Farmers, and more. Despite aiming to provide incentives to combat climate change, these policies often fail to achieve their objectives. Certain policies like The National Livestock Policy (NLP) aim to enhance livestock productivity sustainably, primarily benefiting large-scale livestock farmers and neglecting farmers with small holdings, especially those with backyard poultry farms.
Countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, and Vietnam are developing their policies to tackle the challenges of small livestock farmers and providing sustainable solutions that align with the global SDGs. Some countries are implementing Livestock Master Plans (LMP) to improve sustainable farming and organisations like the World Bank are investing in livestock operations. For instance, the Sustainable Livestock Program for Results in Kazakhstan aims to support small and medium livestock farmers to enhance veterinary services and promote good agricultural practices. Costa Rica has demonstrated the success of silvopastoral methods that integrate trees into grazing lands to reduce the carbon footprint.
Are these Policies Actually Effective?
Several policies like the NAPCC, NMSA, the National Policy for Farmers (2007), and others, aim to make agriculture more sustainable and support small farmers. But how successful has their implementation been?
Most of these policies remain ineffective as they have a more crop-centric approach, thereby excluding small-scale, unregistered livestock farmers. For instance, policies like the NMSA acknowledge the importance of integrated farming systems and recognize poultry and livestock farming as alternate sources of income, but they fail to provide any reliable and concrete solutions to tackle these problems. Additionally, even target-specific policies like the National Livestock Policy 2013 (NLP) lack in providing the funds and spreading awareness required in rural communities. Furthermore, the emphasis on supporting livestock farmers with significant animal holdings often excludes small-scale backyard livestock farmers from benefiting from these policies. As most veterinarians are concentrated in suburban areas, rural livestock owners have little access to good healthcare, resulting in significant gaps in veterinary services and infrastructure.
Are these Policies Actually Effective?
The impacts of climate change are observed as various aspects on small livestock, and countering these impacts requires specific, accessible interventions.
Firstly, to control the increase in temperature within the animal shelters, farmers can adopt roofing materials that can contain the inflow of heat. A reflective roof made of insulating material can reflect sunlight and absorb less heat, providing a cooler shelter for the animals. Terracotta tiles, country tiles, and concrete tiles are durable and low-maintenance alternatives to conventional thatched roofs, effectively reducing temperatures by up to 20°F when combined with proper ventilation.
Plants are demonstrably effective at reducing ambient temperatures, and integrating creepers on rooftops can help absorb heat and perform carbon sequestration, offsetting greenhouse gas emissions from livestock. Further, promoting greenery around livestock sheds offers multiple benefits. Planting trees near the shelters can keep the ground cool and provide essential shade for the animals. Integrating fruit trees, tree crops, and shrubs can increase available food options for the livestock, contributing to a more diverse and sustainable farming ecosystem. Implementing vegetation buffers through agroforestry or alley cropping practices can enhance biodiversity and conserve soil and water while utilising animal waste as valuable manure.
To reduce fodder scarcity, livestock farmers can use food waste from industries or neighbouring households that could serve as an alternative feed source. By reusing suitable parts from the leftovers into a circular economy, a sustainable system supporting both the environment and small livestock farmers can be established.
Farmers in Northern India burn stubble to quickly clear their fields and make way for planting of new crops. Allowing animals to graze the stubble instead of burning it, will provide them with their daily nutrition needs. This would also help decrease pollution due to reduced greenhouse gas emissions by burning, and increase the fodder availability for livestock.
Climate change has been causing frequent disease outbreaks in livestock. However, medicines for the livestock are sold in bulk, making them unaffordable and impractical for small livestock farmers. Rural citizens could be trained to provide basic veterinary services to and provide the farmers with smaller quantities of medicines for one-time usage. This was successfully implemented in rural areas in India by ‘Pradan’, a non-profit organisation. Such initiatives could help control disease in livestock and reduce the risk of farmers losing their livestock.
By implementing the above strategies, livestock farmers can mitigate the effects of climate change while promoting sustainable agriculture. Government support and assistance from non-profit organisations are crucial to building awareness, educating farmers, training, and incentivising them for the widespread adoption of these practices. Through these collaborative efforts, livestock farming can become more resilient, environmentally responsible, and economically viable in the face of climate change challenges.