Herrero, along with lead author Philip Thornton, of the International Livestock Research Institute and CGIAR; Gerald Nelson, of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; and Dianne Mayberry, of Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia, have published "Impacts of Heat Stress on Global Cattle Production During the 21st Century."
Escalating demand for livestock products in low- and middle-income countries, along with steadily increasing global average temperatures, is an uncomfortable mix, the researchers said. If livestock are to adapt to new thermal environments and increase their productivity, infrastructural investments or adjustments—such as switching to more heat-tolerant cattle breeds, and improving shade, ventilation and cooling systems—will be required.
In the paper's high greenhouse-gas emission scenario, cattle production losses from heat stress are estimated to be $39.94 billion annually, or 9.8% of the value of production of meat and milk from cattle in 2005—the scientists' baseline year. The low-emission scenario projects production losses at $14.9 billion annually, or 3.7% of the 2005 value.
By the end of the century, dairy and beef production in the United States is projected to decline by 6.8%, while India—a major dairy production country—is projected to lose more than 45% of its dairy farming due to heat stress increases.
"Resource-poor farmers in low-income countries depend heavily on their livestock for their livelihoods," Thornton said. "The adaptation needs are even higher in these countries, and those farmers are the ones where the hit is even more severe."
Click here to see more...