Climate change is rapidly reshaping the face of animal farming worldwide. Farmers in vulnerable regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia face new challenges due to rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, water scarcity, and increased disease incidence. 

In Nigeria, where the majority of farmers are smallholders, traditional farming methods must urgently be replaced with climate-resilient alternatives such as water conservation, crop diversification, and the promotion of resistant breeds and crop types. 

Practical Impacts of Climate Change

1. Heat Stress and Animal Health

Increasing temperatures lead to considerable heat stress in livestock, especially cattle, sheep, and goats. This heat stress negatively impacts animals’ feed intake, reproductive performance, milk production, and meat quality, ultimately decreasing farm revenues. For dairy cows, even slight rises in temperature can result in significant drops in milk yield. In tropical and subtropical regions, extreme heat events occur more often and last longer, posing risks to productivity and animal welfare.

As an agricultural expert, Dr. Kingsley Uzoma explains, “Transforming animal farming to withstand climate pressures is a collective responsibility.” To help livestock thrive in increasingly hot conditions, farmers are implementing various strategies. These include the use of shade structures, improved ventilation systems, and adjusting feeding schedules to the cooler parts of the day, all aimed at enhancing the animals’ comfort and well-being.

2. Water Scarcity and Grazing Challenges

Water availability is vital for animal health and productivity, but is increasingly under threat due to climate change. Research by Population Action International predicts that many countries in North and Sub-Saharan Africa will face severe water stress this year, critically affecting smallholder livestock farmers who rely on rain-fed water sources and natural grazing lands.

Climate change significantly affects water quality, particularly through increased runoff and pollution in water bodies. As extreme weather events become more frequent, the quality of available water sources deteriorates, posing risks to livestock health and agricultural productivity. Contaminated water can lead to serious animal health issues, ultimately impacting food security for communities reliant on these livestock.

Furthermore, livestock’s water needs rise as temperatures increase due to climate change. Animals require more water to maintain their health and productivity, but limited water availability can hinder their growth and reproduction. This heightened demand and declining water supplies pose a significant challenge for small-scale farmers, who often struggle to provide adequate hydration for their animals. The interplay of these factors underscores the urgent need for effective water management strategies in the face of climate change.

To adapt, farmers are turning to climate-smart water management techniques such as rainwater harvesting, protected water points, and rotational grazing, which optimise pasture use without degrading lands.

3. Disease and Pest Management

Changing climates expand the range and activity period of pests and pathogens affecting livestock. Warmer and humid conditions facilitate the spread of vector-borne diseases and parasites, demanding more vigilant farm health management.

Farmers now prioritise regular vaccination, parasite control programs, and integrated pest management to reduce disease losses aggravated by climate shifts.

4. Feed and Forage Adaptation

A major impact of climate change is the disruption to feed availability. Drought and altered precipitation patterns reduce the growth of fodder crops and natural pastures, impacting livestock nutrition and productivity.

Innovations include:

• Growing drought-resistant forage varieties.
• Incorporating alternative feed sources like crop residues and agro-industrial by-products.
• Employing fodder conservation methods such as silage and haymaking for dry seasons.

These approaches help maintain steady nutrition throughout climate uncertainties.

Impact of Finances and Livelihood 

Livestock farming is a critical livelihood for millions of rural households globally. Climate change threatens this economic pillar by reducing animal productivity and increasing production costs. For example, cattle numbers have declined in places like Nepal due to increasingly hot days, while milk yields have stagnated in West Africa and China under heat stress.

In response to these risks, governments and development agencies are promoting public-private partnerships, advancing microfinance options, and providing extension services that equip farmers with the knowledge and resources needed for climate-resilient practices.

Policy and Technology Innovations

To reduce the livestock sector’s environmental footprint and build resilience, cutting-edge strategies are emerging:

• Breed Improvement: Replacing heat-sensitive animals with heat-tolerant, disease-resistant breeds adapted to local conditions.
• Digital Tools: Utilising GPS for pasture monitoring, mobile apps for disease reporting, and climate forecasting to plan farm activities.
• Sustainable Practices: Integrating livestock with crop farming for nutrient cycling and using rotational grazing to preserve soil health.

Climate Mitigation and Livestock Systems

While livestock production contributes substantially to greenhouse gas emissions, especially methane from cattle. The idea of phasing out or reducing animal agriculture worldwide remains complex, although research from PLOS Climate extensively shows that phasing out livestock farming globally would have an ameliorating effect on atmospheric methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide levels, reducing them by mammoth numbers that cut down emissions to healthy atmosphere levels.

Transitioning to plant-based diets and curbing meat consumption involves a coordinated effort that includes policy changes, economic incentives, and shifts in consumer 

behaviour.

Climate change presents a range of interconnected challenges for animal farming, including issues like heat stress, water scarcity, disease outbreaks, and feed shortages. However, there are practical adaptation strategies that can help maintain livestock productivity and support rural livelihoods. These strategies include improved health management, efficient water use, innovative breeding practices, and policy support.

As highlighted by Patrick Brown of Stanford during the 2021 Climate Change Conference, “Reducing or eliminating animal agriculture should be at the top of the list of potential climate solutions.”To effectively implement these changes, both small-scale and commercial farmers must gain access to climate-smart tools, which are crucial for ensuring global food security.