618
Discomfort and Distress During droughts, temperatures are always high, leading
to discomfort and distress for the animals. Due to poor body conditions, scores of
animals (caused by lack of nutritious and adequate feed), animals become susceptible to many diseases, further jeopardizing their chances of survival.
In order to fully benefit from livestock, there is need to develop and adopt systemwide interventions. For drought-declared districts or zones where farmers are too
impecunious and resource-poor to cope with the effects of prolonged drought and
severe livestock-threatening floods, governments should consider formulating policies and establishing institutions that proactively promote and protect livestock as
an important productive asset. It should also recognize livestock production as a
crucial livelihood strategy, especially for the vulnerable poor. Policy options include
deliberate provision of extension packages for management of livestock under
drought and floods. These options emphasize interventions of adoption of feed preservation technologies, such as hay and silage for use during lean periods, controlled
planning and management of communal grazing areas, as well as rehabilitation of
degraded communal grazing areas and rangelands as way of improving pasture
availability. In addition, government needs to provide emergency veterinary support
and services and establish livestock survival feeding programs through supply and
distribution of emergency feed, including fodder and feed supplements. The alternative is to move animals to other areas of the country where feed is sufficient during
prolonged droughts. In order to reduce competition with humans, the option of
using of unconventional drought tolerant sorghum, millets and quinoa should be
considered. There is also the option of using other emerging sources such as insects
as animal protein for feeding monogastric animals. In primarily grass or rangelandbased systems, use of multipurpose fodder trees and adoption of new technologies
such as hydroponically produced fodder is crucial.
In addition, deliberate action is required to ensure provision of water by establishing emergency livestock watering points and provision of animal shelters to
reduce effects of heat stress. Communities should also take advantage of floods by
setting up mechanisms such as dam construction for capturing floodwaters for use
by livestock during periods of drought.
Because severe droughts or floods can lead to loss of animals, livestock insurance can be considered as one of the best strategies for farmers to cope with such
climatic hazards. Alternatively, governments can also help farmers to rebuild their
livestock assets through implementation of livestock relief restocking schemes targeting the vulnerable and affected poor smallholder livestock keepers.
Farmers should also be willing to make drastic and pragmatic decisions and to
adopt management strategies such as culling or destocking through selling of animals.
This is particularly important in cases where farmers are unable to provide the required
feed and are therefore unable to maintain all the animals in reasonable condition.
Where chances of survival are limited, ethical killing of animals should be considered.
These options can work better with active and working legislation on animal welfare.
From the foregoing, it is evident that government should pursue mitigation trajectories
that integrate both proactive and reactive climate change adaptation and mitigation
B. R. Singh et al.
Discomfort and Distress During droughts, temperatures are always high, leading
to discomfort and distress for the animals. Due to poor body conditions, scores of
animals (caused by lack of nutritious and adequate feed), animals become susceptible to many diseases, further jeopardizing their chances of survival.
In order to fully benefit from livestock, there is need to develop and adopt systemwide interventions. For drought-declared districts or zones where farmers are too
impecunious and resource-poor to cope with the effects of prolonged drought and
severe livestock-threatening floods, governments should consider formulating policies and establishing institutions that proactively promote and protect livestock as
an important productive asset. It should also recognize livestock production as a
crucial livelihood strategy, especially for the vulnerable poor. Policy options include
deliberate provision of extension packages for management of livestock under
drought and floods. These options emphasize interventions of adoption of feed preservation technologies, such as hay and silage for use during lean periods, controlled
planning and management of communal grazing areas, as well as rehabilitation of
degraded communal grazing areas and rangelands as way of improving pasture
availability. In addition, government needs to provide emergency veterinary support
and services and establish livestock survival feeding programs through supply and
distribution of emergency feed, including fodder and feed supplements. The alternative is to move animals to other areas of the country where feed is sufficient during
prolonged droughts. In order to reduce competition with humans, the option of
using of unconventional drought tolerant sorghum, millets and quinoa should be
considered. There is also the option of using other emerging sources such as insects
as animal protein for feeding monogastric animals. In primarily grass or rangelandbased systems, use of multipurpose fodder trees and adoption of new technologies
such as hydroponically produced fodder is crucial.
In addition, deliberate action is required to ensure provision of water by establishing emergency livestock watering points and provision of animal shelters to
reduce effects of heat stress. Communities should also take advantage of floods by
setting up mechanisms such as dam construction for capturing floodwaters for use
by livestock during periods of drought.
Because severe droughts or floods can lead to loss of animals, livestock insurance can be considered as one of the best strategies for farmers to cope with such
climatic hazards. Alternatively, governments can also help farmers to rebuild their
livestock assets through implementation of livestock relief restocking schemes targeting the vulnerable and affected poor smallholder livestock keepers.
Farmers should also be willing to make drastic and pragmatic decisions and to
adopt management strategies such as culling or destocking through selling of animals.
This is particularly important in cases where farmers are unable to provide the required
feed and are therefore unable to maintain all the animals in reasonable condition.
Where chances of survival are limited, ethical killing of animals should be considered.
These options can work better with active and working legislation on animal welfare.
From the foregoing, it is evident that government should pursue mitigation trajectories
that integrate both proactive and reactive climate change adaptation and mitigation
B. R. Singh et al.