Adaptation measures practiced by the farmers rearing dairy animals at farm level to mitigate the influence of climate change

Abstract

Climate change has an adverse effect on climate sensitive livestock sector. A well-structured interview schedule was used to collect the practices adopted by the livestock farmers at farm-level in irrigated and rainfed areas of Namakkal district in Tamil Nadu. Practices adapted to mitigate the effects of climate change were documented from 320 livestock farmers, 160 from irrigated and 160 from rainfed areas. Providing shade during day time was the major practice adapted in housing, cooling animals by washing, alteration in the grazing time, cooling and not allowing for grazing after insemination, deworming animals two to three days prior to insemination, feeding lemon after insemination, feeding mineral mixture during summer, soaking concentrate feed in water, feeding aloevera and neem oil for 15 days before insemination and shifting from buffalo to white cattle were the practices adapted by the livestock farmers to mitigate the effect of climate change. Further, the field experts opined that feeding mineral mixture (100%), alteration in grazing time (100%), cooling animals after insemination (97.22%), deworming of animals two or three days prior to insemination (91.67%) had effect at field level. Field experts suggested that feeding lemon after insemination, feeding mineral mixture during summer and feeding aloevera and neem oil for 15 days before insemination were the practices need further scientific research for up-scaling of practices.