Potential consequences of climate change and mitigation options in livestock production in Zimbabwe

Authors

  • Never Assan Zimbabwe Open University, Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Agriculture Management, Bulawayo Region, Box 3550, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

Keywords:

Climate change;Mitigation options;Livestock production;Zimbabwe

Abstract

This is a review paper that looks at the potential consequences of climate change and mitigation options in livestock production in Zimbabwe. The local environmental policy objectives highlights related to climate change cite the promotion of sustainable use of natural resources with emphasis on satisfying basic needs, improving people’s standard of living, enhancing food security and reducing poverty as the major issues. These efforts are being impacted by climate change through livestock production which has not been spared due to the natural disasters and environmental challenges likely to affect all sectors of the country and all layers of the population indiscriminately. In order to be able to adequately address climate change in a sustainable development context, there is need for the country to carry out vulnerability and adaptation assessments. Research and training of experts to carry out vulnerability and adaptation assessments on livestock production is crucial in order for the country to develop climate change adaptation measures. Societies are dynamic and they develop all possible adaptive measures to reduce vulnerability to climate change. Due to the changing climatic conditions Zimbabwe has already witnessed much severe climatic induced vulnerability such as decline in rainfall amounts and intensity, reduced length of rain season and increasing warm and occasionally very hot conditions. Livestock production systems will need to adapt to higher ambient temperatures, lower nutritional value of feed resources and new diseases and parasites occurrence. It can be seen that the present livestock production system based on rangeland grazing husbandry systems, ecological destruction through climatic variability and overgrazing due to high stocking rates in areas where feed and water has been compromised due to high temperatures caused by climate change does not augur well for future livestock productivity. The understanding of climate change variables and their impacts is the first step in climate change research and prerequisite for defining appropriate adaptive responses by livestock farmers. Increasingly local strategies for livestock production must consider the impact of climate change. Improved livestock production supporting economic development should be compatible with the goals of curbing the effects of climate change. Livestock production priorities should be directed towards promoting indigenous livestock genetic resources by providing comprehensive livestock research support services on the impact of climate change. Livestock play an important role in farming systems, as they offer opportunities for risk coping, farm diversification and intensification, and provide significant livelihood benefits.  The review paper therefore, concludes that the effectiveness of biophysical responses of livestock production to specific environmental challenges those are anticipated as a result of climate change, and then at the range of adaptive measures that might be taken by livestock producers to ameliorate their effects will be the prerequisite for defining appropriate societal responses.

References

Agrisystems, 2000. National Livestock Development Study for Zimbabwe. Draft Main Report, Phase 1. Harare,

Zimbabwe. Agrisystems Ltd and Price Waterhouse.

Amenu, K., Markemann, A., Obler, R.R., Siegmund-Schultze, M., Z´arate, A.V., 2011. Perceived Feed and Water

Constraints for Livestock Production in Lume and Siraro Districts, Ethiopia.

Anderson, S., 2003. Animal genetic resources and sustainable livelihoods. Eco. Econ. 45(3),331- 339.

Assan, N., 2013. Opportunities and challenges in use of imported livestock than utilization of local genetic

resources in Zimbabwe. J. Anim. Prod. Adv. 3(4), 97-106.

Baker, L.R., Rege, J.E.O., 1994. Genetic resistance to diseases and other stresses in the improvement of ruminant

livestock in the tropics. Proc. 5th Worl. Congr. Gen. Appl. Liv. Prod., University of Guelp, 7- 12 August, 405-

Barrett, J.C., 1992. The economic role of cattle in communal farming systems in Zimbabwe. ODI Pastoral

Development Network, ODI, London Paper 32b, Overseas Development Institute, London.

Central Statistical Office, (CSO) 2000. Agriculture and Livestock Surveys in Communal Lands. Central Statistical

Office, Causeway, Harare, Zimbabwe.

Charlotte, P., Madsen, J., 1998. Constraints and opportunities for improved milk production and calf rearing in

Sanyati communal farming area, Zimbabwe. Liv. Res. Rur. Dev. 10.

Devendra, C., Thomas, D., Jabbar, M., Zerbini, E., 2000. Improvement of Livestock Production in Crop-Animal

Systems in Agro-Ecological Zones of South Asia., ILRI, Nairobi, Kenya.

FAO, 2001. Food and Agriculture Organization. Statistical Database. Food and Agriculture Organization of United

Nation.

FAO, 2006. The state of food insecurity in the world: Eradicating world hunger - taking stock ten years after the

World Food Summit, FAO, Rome, 40 pp.

Hagreaves, S.K., Bruce, D., Beffa, L.M., 2004. Disaster mitigation options for livestock production in communal

farming systems in Zimbabwe. 1. Background information and literature review. PO Box 776, Bulawayo,

Zimbabwe: ICRISAT: and Rome, Italy, FAO. 56pp.

Homann, S., van Rooyen, A.F., Moyo, T., Nengomahsa, Z., 2007. Goat production and marketing: Baseline

information for semi-arid Zimbabwe. P.O. Box 776. Bulawayo, Zimbabwe: International Crops Research

Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics. 84pp.

IPCC, 2007. Mpacts, adaptation and vulnerability: Contributions of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment

Report, Cambridge University Press, 2007, 444.

Khombe, C.T., 1994. The conservation and selection of indigenous beef breeds in Zimbabwe. Ministry of National

Affairs, Employment Creation and Cooperatives, P Bag 7762, Causeway, Zimbabwe.

Lenné, J.M., Thomas, D., 2006. Integrating crop–livestock research and development in Sub-Saharan Africa -

Option, imperative or impossible? Outlook on Agriculture Volume. 35, Article #3 p 167–175.

Lukuyu, B.A., Kitalyi, A., Franzel, S., Duncan, A., Baltenweck, I., 2009. Constraints and options to enhancing

production of high quality feeds in dairy production in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda ICRAF Working Paper no.

Nairobi, Kenya: World Agroforestry Centre.

Madzima, W.N., 1993. Department of Veterinary Services, Harare, Zimbabwe.

Masikati, P., 2010. Improving the water productivity of integrated crop-livestock systems in the semi-arid tropics of

Zimbabwe: an ex-ante analysis using simulation modeling. Eco. Dev. 78.

Masimba, E.S., Mbiriri, D.T., Kashangura, M.T., Mutibvu, T., 2011. Indigenous practices for the control and

treatment of ailments in Zimbabwe’s village poultry. Liv. Res. Rur. Dev. 23(257).

Moran, F., Nyamapfende, K., 1984. A Secondary Agriculture Course Book 1. Mambo Press, Gweru. Zimbabwe.

Morton, J., Matthewman, R., 1996. Improving Livestock Production Through Extension: Information Needs,

Institutions and Opportunities. Natural Resource Perspectives. 12.

Mwacharo, J.M., Drucker, A.G., 2005. Production objectives and management strategies of livestock-keepers in

Southeast Kenya: implications for a breeding programme. Trop. Anim. Healt. Prod. 37(8):635-52.

Mwiturubani, D.A., 2010. Climate change and access to water resources in Lake Victoria basin; In; Mwiturubani Da

and van Wyk JA (Ed) (2010) Climate change and natural resources conflicts in Africa, Institute for Security

Studies, PO Box 1787, Brooklyn Square 0075, Pretoria, South Africa.

Nkeme, K.K., Ndaeyo, N.U., 2013. Climate change and coping strategies among peasant farmers in Akwa Ibom

state, Nigeria. Int. J. Basic Appl. Sci. 2(1),24-28.

Patra, A.K., Sharma, K., Narayan, D., Pattanaik, A.K., 2002. Effect of partial replacement of dietary protein by a leaf

meal mixture containing Leucaena leucocephala, Morus alba and Azadirachta indica on performance of goats.

Asian-Aus J. Anim. Sci. 15(12), 1732-1737.

Pen, M., Savage, D., Stür, W., Seng, M., 2009. Constraints to Cattle Production of Small-scale Farmers in Kampong

Cham Province, Cambodia. Conference on International Research on Food Security, Natural Resource

Management and Rural Development. University of Hamburg, October 6-8.

Scholtz, M.M., 1988. Selection possibilities of hardy beef breeds in Africa: The Nguni example In: Proceedings of

the 3rd World Congress on sheep and beef cattle breeding. Paris, France, 1988, pp303-319.

Scholtz, M.M., 2012. The development of a seedstock industry using indigenous livestock from rural keepers for

sustainable production. J. Life Sci. 6:1270-1276.

Singh, S.K., Mecna, H.R., Kolekar, D.V., Singh, Y.P., 2021. Climate change impacts on livestock and adaptation

strategies to sustain livestock production. J. Vet Adv. 2(7), 407-412.

Smit, B., Me Nabb, D., Snuckers, J., 1996. Agriculture adaptation to climate variation. Climate change. 33, 7-29.

Svotwa, E., Hamudikuwanda, H., Makarau, A., 2007. Influence of climate and weather on cattle production semi

arid communal areas of Zimbabwe. Electronic journal of environmental, agricultural and food chemistry.

Volume 6, Article # 2, pp1838-1850.

Tadesse, D., 2010. Climate change, water and food security in Ethiopia. In; Mwiturubani Da and van Wyk JA (Ed)

(2010) Climate change and natural resources conflicts in Africa, Institute for Security Studies, PO Box 1787,

Brooklyn Square 0075, Pretoria, South Africa. Pp 81-101.

Thornton, P.K., 2010. Livestock production: recent trends, future prospects. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. 365(1554):2853-

Van Rooyen, A.F., Freeman, A., Moyo, S., Rohrback, D., 2007. Livestock Development in Southern Africa. Future

Research and Investment Priorities. ICRISAT Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Watson, R.T., 1998. The regional impacts of climate change: An assessment of Vulnerability, Cambridge University

Press Cambridge.

Published

2013-06-29

How to Cite

Assan, N. . (2013). Potential consequences of climate change and mitigation options in livestock production in Zimbabwe. Scientific Journal of Animal Science, 2(6), 180-189. Retrieved from https://sjournals.com/index.php/sjas/article/view/1069

Issue

Section

Review Article

Most read articles by the same author(s)

<< < 1 2 3 > >>