This document outlines strategies for livestock production under climate change. It discusses how climate change is expected to increase temperatures, cause more extreme weather events like droughts and flooding, and spread infectious diseases. This will negatively impact livestock through reduced access to water, heat stress, lower feed quality and availability, and disease outbreaks. The strategies proposed to address these challenges include improving water infrastructure, managing herd size, selecting drought-resistant crops, strengthening local breeds, providing shade and cooling systems, and implementing early warning systems and insurance policies. The overall goal is to help the livestock sector adapt to the threats posed by climate change.

1. CLIMATE SMART STRATEGIES
FOR LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION
M. BROWN

2. Increase temperature
(3°C by 2080)
Melted glaciers
(rise in sea level by 5mm ea yr)
Drought
Effects of globalwarmingon the environment
Flooding

3. Reduced access to water
Animals suffer from dehydration, low milk production
animals become sick, death of animals

4. STRATEGIES
• Infrastructure development
- harvest and store rainwater, such as tanks
connected to the roofs of houses
• Reduce stocking density
• Improved management of water resources
- drip sprinkler/irrigation
- nipple drinker

5. Heat stress (Reduced production )
Reduces animals’ appetites, growth rate
and fertility, and increases mortality rates

6. STRATEGIES
• Livestock management systems
- provision of shade
- feed animals at cooler times of the day
- ensure water being offered is cool
• Infrastructure
- Install fans in livestock units
- Provide additional housing

7. Nutrient loss
Increase the
lignification of
plant tissues
and thereby
make forage
less digestible

8. Reduced feed supplies
Loss of grazing land because of drought and rising
grain prices globally

9. STRATEGIES
• Plant material
- Select drought tolerant planting material
• Capacity building
- Increase farmers awareness of CC
- Implement fodder production and conservation
practices

10. STRATEGIES
• Management
- Reduce herd size
- Implement soil and water management
practices
- Communal feeding
• Science and technology development
- New breeds (Selection of faster growing
breeds etc)

11. Rise in Infectious diseases
Particularly those that are spread by vectors (animals
such as insects and ticks)

12. STRATEGIES
• Management
- Reduce herd size
- Readily cull sick animals
- Increase biosecurity measures (separate sick
animals from healthy ones)

13. Loss of reservoir of livestock genetic
resources
Varieties and breeds may be abandoned by farmers
and livestock keepers

14. STRATEGIES
• Breeding
- Improve local genetics through cross
breeding
- identification of local breeds/ strengthen
- Storage of semen and embryos

15. FLOODING
Large numbers of animals killed
Breed may be completely wiped out

16. STRATEGIES
• Infrastructure
- Construct elevated houses
- Build drains
- Utilize sand bags where possible
• Management
- Secure grains/fodder
- Provide escape route for animals

17. Negative socio-economic impacts
Increased number of people at risk of hunger and food
insecurity. Migration and civil unrest

18. STRATEGIES
• Institutional and policy changes
- Insurance
- Early warning system
- Strategic farm planning

19. REFERENCES
• The Impact of Climate Change on the Coastal Areas of Jamaica: The
Importance of Coastal Zone Management -Leiska Powell
• www.ifad.org/lrkm/factsheet/cc.pdf
• www.meteor.iastate.edu/classes/mt404/Lectures/Agriculture-
Impacts.ppt
• www.intechopen.com/.../climate-change...effects/impacts-of-
climate-ch

20. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION