Rana Irfan Rafi
Livestock sector holds significant importance in the economy in Pakistan especially the rural areas. Livestock herding and farming are the main source of income for many of the poor living in the rural areas of Pakistan. Dairy farming or Cattle farming is common in Punjab’s cities like Sahiwal and Lahore. In the southern region of Sindh where Tharparkar and Umerkot are located, buffalos, camels, and goats are raised. The districts of Baluchistan including Quetta, zhob and Mastung are famous for donkey and sheep breeding. Over in KPK, there is a prevalence of goat farming in Swat and chitral regions.
But, across the globe, right now the livestock sector is facing challenges from climate change. This is being felt most in the rural and pastoral areas where families depend on their livestock for food as well as the way to provide clothing and shelter for themselves.
In Pakistan, the summer season is also said to last longer, during the hardiest months in May or June, temperatures in Punjab and Sindh often average 45*C. High temperatures cause heat stress, an extreme health condition mainly affecting the growth, reproduction, and health of the animals., the animals experience slow growth, reproduction problems, and in the most severe cases, their death.
Climate change has also altered the amount of rainfall, making it scarce in some regions. Lesser water sources would mean limited water during the scorching summer months. Water is integral in maintaining the health of the animals, and so any deficit has adverse effects. For instance, in Baluchistan, the existing conditions of elevated temperatures along with insufficient water reduce the quantity of food animals require to grow and develop further.
Animals access to grazing pastures and animal feed is on a constant shift. The acute conditions of floods in dry regions negatively affect the availability of both feeding and grazing. Such situations can include heavy rain, which can detonate mudslides inhibiting the farming process.
Droughts, on the other hand, render grazing areas unproductive because livestock herders are not able to find enough food for their animals. These challenges make it a strain for the farmers to take care of their livestock already stressed by these challenges.
In Pakistan, the economic losses of livestock as a result of natural calamities like heavy rains, floods and landslides has been significant. For perspective, the floods in Pakistan in 2022 took an estimated 800,000 livestock lives. Furthermore, the livestock population and their yield have decreased due to the freezing temperatures and continuous bad weather conditions. Cumulatively, these sets of factors do play a role in altering the hormonal equilibrium of animals and this has dire consequences, such as impaired reproduction capacity or lactation. Such problems are said to undermine livestock population resilience to environmental changes which results in dire long-term consequences.
The adverse attributes of climate change in livestock have far reaching effects more than only the farmers as the economy is also hurt. There are increased risks of rural families especially ones that are dependent on livestock farming for food and income.
There is a need for the Pakistan government to adopt measures which would ensure protection to the livestock sector as well as the people associated with it.
These include water harvesting buildings where water is stored in rainy season to be used in dry periods Modern methods of farming that require less water to operate in order to save resources are brought to practice. Offering veterinary services and medicines to curb the spread of diseases – these are concurrent interventions. Teaching farmers the signs and prevention of commonly known livestock diseases is also very essential. Constructing shaded areas to make housing areas cooler for animals in extremely hot climates. Providing adequate space between animals in their housing units to minimize heat stress. Introducing drought tolerant fodder plants to ensure adequate source of fodder is always available. Motivating farmers to pack and store nutrients in dry periods to feed during famine has to be explained. This may involve techniques which support the livestock housing management where livestock are moved in the time of such need. Developing and introducing breeds that are appropriate for growing areas with extreme temperature conditions. Reimbursement or compensation of farmers affected or sustained losses from disastrous changing climatic conditions. Funding studies that investigate livestock climatic impacts and viable and implementable solutions hope to provide directions.
Finally, Possible Solutions or Conclusion are: Building new more effective infrastructure. By strengthening water control, avoiding diseases, and controlling other harmful consequences Pakistan has some opportunities ahead for farmers, their livestock and rural development.
The author is associated with SDPI (Sustainable Development Policy Institute) as project assistant and can be contacted at irfanrafi@sdpi.org tweeter@ranaskt11
