Author(s):

Chandan Kumar Rai, Gopal Sankhala, Arti and Sanjeev Kumar

Abstract: This paper presents critical review on impacts of climate variability and their change on dairy animals and major adaptation strategies followed by the dairy farmers to mitigate the effects of climate change. Dairy sector is highly sensitive to climate variability and change and at the same time acting as a contributor to the phenomenon. Climate change imposes the great risk and challenges to the growth and development of Indian dairy sector. The climate change would adversely affect the performance of dairy animals, causing heat stress and reducing the area under which the dairy animal cane economically reared, if the temperature will rise between 2.3 to 4.8 °C with increased precipitation resulting from climate variability. The impact of climate variability can be clearly seen as heat stress and cold stress in dairy animal which can affect the reproductive and productive traits of dairy animals. The heat stress is depicted by Temperature Humidity Index (THI) value, when mean THI values are found to be between 35 and 72, the milk production in dairy cows is not affected by heat stress. The impact of climate variability can be reduced by adapting effective strategies like by changes in micro-environment of animals, making changes in the feeding patterns etc. Dairy farming plays a major role in sustaining the rural livelihoods, and acts as a buffer to sustain their lives especially when crop failure occurs. Thus it is important to save dairy animals from the vagaries of climate variability and change.

Pages: 2842-2846  |  1028 Views  269 Downloads

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