Sustainable Livestock Management Systems for Indian Rural Livelihood: Mitigation of Climate Change

Abstract

Livestock sector plays a significant role in food security. The livestock sector accounts for 40% of the world’s agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and about 1.3 billion people depend upon livestock husbandry for their livelihood. This sector alone contributes nearly 25.6% of value of output at current prices of total value of output in agriculture, fishing and forestry sectors. The total livestock population in India is about 536 million (2019). Nevertheless, the ruminants are an important source of atmospheric methane. In India, ‘49.1% of enteric methane was contributed by cattle, 42.8% by buffaloes, 5.38% by goat and 2.59% by sheep. Importantly, during 1961–2010, the increase in methane emissions (70.6%) from livestock population of India is much greater than the increase in methane emissions from livestock population of world (54.3%). It is reported that by 2050, about 15.7% of enteric CH4 emission at the global level will be contributed by the Livestock population of India’. However, the changing climate has potential impacts on livestock production and productivity. The surface air temperature is the single most important abiotic factor followed by humidity, radiation and wind velocity, which are known to have a great influence and negative impact on livestock productivity. The global average air temperature near the Earth’s surface rose by 0.74 0.18 C (1.33 0.32 F) during the 100 years ending in 2005. The elevated temperature and relative humidity will impose heat stress on all the species of livestock, and will adversely affect their productive and reproductive potential. Also, global climate change increases the vulnerability of livestock to various diseases. In this regard, there is a dire need for sustainable livestock production by factoring in both mitigation and adaptation strategies.