Strategies for Sustainable Climate Smart Livestock Farming

Climate Smart Farming (CSF) emphasize on sustaining the farming by creating resilience in the practices through reorientation or transformation in the ambit of climate change scenario. Climate change is a recent phenomenon which is affecting all farming types globally. The ill-effects of climate change are evident through surging temperatures, forest fires, flash floods, droughts, etc. Livestock being an interwoven part of the ecological balance is also witnessing measurable effects of climate change. Reduction in feed resource efficiency, outbreak of diseases, heat stress, breeding problems, reduction in production attributes, etc. are the direct measurable effects of climate change on livestock. Unavailability of feed and fodder resources, shrinking grazing lands, production of green-house gases (GHGs), competition for space with agriculture, etc. can be considered as indirect effects. Therefore, for mitigating effects of climate change on livestock production and building resilience among the livestock, there is imminent need to draft strategies for Climate Smart Livestock Farming (CSLF). The strategies are detailed in the chapter and comprises of precision livestock farming, integrated farming, improving resource use efficiency, building resilience in livestock, optimum nutrition, heat amelioration, breeding management, housing management, manure management, reducing influx of GHGs into environment, utilization of digital technologies and strengthening extension advisory services. These strategies should be adopted to mitigate the effect of climate change on livestock. These strategies can reduce the vulnerabilities and expedite the process of building resilience in livestock.