Climate Change and its Effect on Livestock


Climate change refers to a long-term deviance of global climate patterns from original patterns. Climate is sometimes mistaken with the word weather, some people think climate and weather are the same but in actual climate is different from the weather because the climate is measured over a long period of time and as a whole nation, area, and region, not the particular small place whereas weather can change from day by day, hour by hour. in today's world climate change is the world biggest issue and problem. Many works are happening in this issue and that's good but it affects many sectors. Mainly the cause of current climate change is large human activities like burning fossil fuels, natural gas, oil, industrialization, mechanization, chemical uses, deforestation, etc.


To feed the livestock and themself people have chopped down the large area of forest and later it used to grow crops, feed, fodder, and build the house. We all know that forest is very good at the taking carbon dioxide ( greenhouse gas) which cause the climate change from the environment and produce the oxygen and the climate change can impact the livestock by changes in the production and quality of feed crop and forage, animal growth and reproduction, water availability, diseases, reproduction, biodiversity, and these impacts are happening due to an increase in temperature, greenhouse gases, high concentration of co2, precipitation variation factors, etc.

 

Some of the effects that facing by the livestock and livestock production by the climate change is given below:

  1. Quality and quantity of feeds and fodder:

 This effect happens mainly due to an increase in temperature and CO2. due to the increase in CO2 level and temperature the crops, Animals, and plants have a greater effect, production, and reduction in both quality and quantity. The quality and quantity of feeds are dependent on the temperature, location, livestock system, species, etc. if quality and quantity of feed are not enough for the animal then the animal will get weak and weak due to lack of appropriate amount of nutrient intake. Which makes animals susceptible to diseases and the quality and quantity of product is also heavily damaged.



 

2.               Water: 

due to climate change, rise in temperature, most areas of the earth are in stressful conditions. Water availability is decreasing day by day at an increasing level. Water availability issues badly affect the livestock sector and also the quality of water. Animals use water for drinking ( should have enough and quality water), for sanitation, for regulating body temperature, for raising crops, forages, grains. If water scarcity is higher then the production of crops forage and grains less and it badly affects both humans and animals and Without drinking water, none can survive. Due to climate change, water is contaminated with chemicals and biological factors. This affects the animal metabolism, fertility, digestion, respiratory system, excretory, skeletal, nervous, etc.




3.               Livestock diseases:

Due to climate change i.e. increase in temperature, co2 level, livestock diseases, and pandemic increasing in today's world. Climate change is making the livestock weak, weaken their immunity power and becoming the unfavourable climate. The less quality and quantity of feed, scarce and contaminated water and in other hands it gives a suitable and favourable environment for the microbial community( pathogens and parasites), by which they cause and spread the disease, emerging new types and strain of disease and microbiota and many livestock can die due to diseases, pandemics etc. it is a huge loss for the farmers as well as country and recently we know that the lumpy skin disease in cow come as an epidemic in Nepal. 



4.               Heat Stress:

Environmental temperature is very necessary to keep the body stable and healthy. It will help livestock to regulate physiological metabolism, activities etc. When temperature increases more than the upper critical temperature (varies within the species) animals begin to suffer heat stress. It alters physiological function, reduces feed intake, increases water intake, alters reproductive and productive efficiency, alters respiration rate, these all factors make livestock weak and can kill, reduce animal products like milk production, meat production etc.



5.               Health and Reproduction:

livestock has many health problems due to climate change. Climate change affects the livestock by altering metabolic rate, endocrine system,, oxidative status, carbohydrate status, protein and lipid metabolism, liver functionality, etc and also reduce the reproduction efficiency of both male and female sex by degrading the quality of egg and sperms.


Conclusion: 

Hence climate change affects livestock directly and indirectly in both ways. It is very sad news as well as conditions for the world and farmers. We need to do something about the climate change issue. If we don't do anything, none will do anything, so let's do it together to make the environment healthy.

 

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