Abstract
The industrialization of agriculture based on inexpensive fossil fuels allowed for unprecedented levels of food production and population growth, but simultaneously contributed to a threat to food systems and population well-being: climate change. This paper analyses the impacts and adaptations available to the world’s pastoral production systems including potential mitigation and adaptation strategies. The current food system is under pressure to satisfy the needs of the increasing population with already limited natural resources particularly land and water, and now increasingly under pressure due to climate change. Increasing incomes from greater number of people have increased demand for animal source foods. As a result, domestic livestock numbers are rising, particularly in low-income countries with greater dependence on pasture for animal feed. The carrying capacity of pastured land is limited; therefore, increasing animal numbers may cause environmental degradation and loss of productivity from pastoral industries. In some countries, the increasing demand has prompted some to burn forestlands and convert them into crop production, and after the land is degraded into pasture mainly for raising large ruminants. Changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and ambient temperatures are predicted to make a number of changes to the growth of herbage for animals. Several strategies can be implemented to optimize the pasture-based food system, including choosing the right breed, improving reproductive efficiency, improving grazing management, and maintaining an animal feed base. The global challenge is to meet our food production needs while sustaining our environment. Producers in all income categories have a role to play in adapting to these challenges.
Highlights
Pastoralism, herding of large animals as a means of livelihood, is one of the oldest viable and potentially sustainable systems, if properly managed [International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), 2008; Dyer, 2016]
There are at least five different forms of pastoralism depending on herd mobility pattern, resource use and income generated from livestock and livestock products (Table 1; Dong et al, 2016)
Agro-pastoralism is a form of pastoralism in which most of the family income is generated from cultivating crops compared to pastoralists that generate more than 50% of family income from livestock and livestock products (IFAD, 2008)
Summary
Pastoralism, herding of large animals as a means of livelihood, is one of the oldest viable and potentially sustainable systems, if properly managed [International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), 2008; Dyer, 2016]. Pastoral livestock production is exacerbating climate change because agriculture (including forestry and land use) and livestock production represent 23 and 14.5% of total anthropogenic GHG emissions, respectively (Gerber et al, 2013; IPCC, 2019). Milk and meat demand will increased about 60% by 2050 (Brian, 2015) This will force intensification of crop and livestock production but will increase climate change risk due to land use changes and increasing total GHG emissions. The objective of this review is to (1) summarize and critically analyze the current literature focusing on the impact of food production and climate change on the pastoral livestock industry at a global scale, and (2) discuss the potential mitigation and adaptation strategies of climate change risks for pastoral industries
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