Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-20T09:32:28.674Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Adaptation to climate change – exploring the potential of locally adapted breeds

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2013

Irene Hoffmann
Irene Hoffmann*
Affiliation:
Animal Genetic Resources Branch, Animal Production and Health Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy
*
†E-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

The livestock sector and agriculture as a whole face unprecedented challenges to increase production while improving the environment. On the basis of a literature review, the paper first discusses challenges related to climate change, food security and other drivers of change in livestock production. On the basis of a recent discourse in ecology, a framework for assessing livestock species’ and breeds’ vulnerability to climate change is presented. The second part of the paper draws on an analysis of data on breed qualities obtained from the Food and Agriculture Organization's Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD-IS) to explore the range of adaptation traits present in today's breed diversity. The analysis produced a first mapping of a range of ascribed adaptation traits of national breed populations. It allowed to explore what National Coordinators understand by ‘locally adapted’ and other terms that describe general adaptation, to better understand the habitat, fodder and temperature range of each species and to shed light on the environments in which targeted search for adaptation traits could focus.

Keywords

climate changelivestockbreedsadaptationhabitat
Type
Full Paper
Information
animal , Volume 7 , Issue s2: Greenhouse Gases & Animal Agriculture Conference (GGAA 2013), 23rd ‐ 26th June 2013, Dublin, Ireland , June 2013 , pp. 346 - 362
Copyright
Copyright © Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alexandratos, N, Bruinsma, J 2012. World agriculture towards 2030/2050: the 2012 revision. ESA Working paper No. 12-03. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.Google Scholar
Alford, AR, Hegarty, RS, Parnell, PF, Cacho, OJ, Herd, RM, Griffith, GR 2006. The impact of breeding to reduce residual feed intake on enteric methane emissions from the Australian beef industry. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 46, 813–820.Google Scholar
Ayantunde, AA, Fernandez-Rivera, S, Hiernaux, PH, van. Keulen, H, Udo, HMJ 2002. Day and night grazing by cattle in the Sahel. Journal of Range Management 55, 144–149.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bayer, W 1986. Agropastoral herding practices and grazing behaviour of cattle in the subhumid zone of Nigeria. ILCA Bulletin 24. Retrieved January, 2013, from http://www.ilri.org/InfoServ/Webpub/fulldocs/Bulletin24/agropastoral.htmGoogle Scholar
Bayer, W, Suleiman, H, Kaufmann, R, Waters-Bayer, A 1987. Resource use and strategies for development of pastoral systems in sub-humid West Africa. The case of Nigeria. Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture 26, 58–71.Google Scholar
Bianca, W 1961. Heat tolerance in cattle-its concept, measurement and dependence on modifying factors. International Journal of Biometeorology 5, 5–30.Google Scholar
Blackburn, H, Gollin, D 2008. Animal genetic resource trade flows: the utilization of newly imported breeds and the gene flow of imported animals in the United States of America. Livestock Science 120, 240–247.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bohmanova, J, Misztal, I, Cole, JB 2007. Temperature-humidity indices as indicators of milk production losses due to heat stress. Journal of Dairy Science 90, 1947–1956.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brinkmann, L, Gerken, M, Riek, A 2013. Adaptationsstrategien von Shetlandponies (Equus ferus caballus) an saisonale Schwankungen des Klimas und der Futterverfügbarkeit. Züchtungskunde 85, 58–73.Google Scholar
Bruinsma, J 2011. The resources outlook: by how much do land, water and crop yields need to increase by 2050?. In Looking ahead in world food and agriculture: perspectives to 2050 (ed. P Conforti), pp. 233–278. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.Google Scholar
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) 2009. Connecting biodiversity and climate change mitigation and adaptation: Report of the Second Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Biodiversity and Climate Change. Montreal, Technical Series No. 41, 126pp.Google Scholar
CBD 2010. Global biodiversity Outlook 3. CBD, Montreal.Google Scholar
Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) 1999. Animal agriculture and global food supply. Task Force Report no. 135, July 1999. CAST, Ames, IA, USA.Google Scholar
Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD-IS). Retrieved January 30, 2013, from http://dad.fao.org/Google Scholar
Dawson, TP, Jackson, ST, House, JI, Prentice, IC, Mace, GM 2011. Beyond predictions: biodiversity conservation in a changing climate. Science 332, 53–58.Google Scholar
De La Rocque, S, Hendrickx, G, Morand, S (eds.) 2008. Climate change: impact on the epidemiology and control of animal diseases. Revue scientific et technique 27, 613pp.Google ScholarPubMed
Dikmen, S, Hansen, PJ 2009. Is the temperature-humidity index the best indicator of heat stress in lactating dairy cows in a subtropical environment? Journal of Dairy Science 92, 109–116.Google Scholar
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 2006a. Livestock's long shadow – environmental issues and options (ed. H Steinfeld, P Gerber, T Wassenaar, V Castel, M Rosales and C de Haan), 390pp. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.Google Scholar
FAO 2006b. Breed diversity in dryland ecosystems. Information Document 9, Fourth Session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 13pp.Google Scholar
FAO 2007a. The state of the world's animal genetic resources for food and agriculture (ed. B Rischkowsky and D Pilling), 528pp. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.Google Scholar
FAO 2007b. Global plan of action for animal genetic resources and the interlaken declaration. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 39pp.Google Scholar
FAO 2007c. The state of food and agriculture 2007. Paying farmers for environmental services. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 241pp.Google Scholar
FAO 2009. Threats to animal genetic resources – their relevance, importance and opportunities to decrease their impact. CGRFA Background Study Paper 50. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 53pp.Google Scholar
FAO 2010a. The state of food and agriculture 2009. Livestock in the balance. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 174pp.Google Scholar
FAO 2010b. Status of and prospects for smallholder milk production – a global perspective (ed. T Hemme and J Otte), 181pp. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.Google Scholar
FAO 2011a. World livestock 2011 – livestock in food security. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 115pp.Google Scholar
FAO 2011b. Mapping supply and demand for animal-source foods to 2030. Animal Production and Health Working Paper No. 2 (ed. TP Robinson and F Pozzi), 154pp. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.Google Scholar
FAO 2011c. Climate change and animal genetic resources: State of knowledge, risks and opportunities. CGRFA Background Study Paper 53 (ed. D Pilling and I Hoffmann), 45pp. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.Google Scholar
FAO 2011d. State of the world's land and water resources for food and agriculture. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 286pp.Google Scholar
FAO 2012a. Status and trends report on animal genetic resources – 2012. CGRFA/WG-AnGR-7/12/Inf. 4. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 30pp.Google Scholar
FAO 2012b. Targets and indicators for animal genetic resources. CGRFA/WG-AnGR-7/12/7. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 14pp.Google Scholar
FAO 2012c. The state of food insecurity in the World 2012. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 65pp.Google Scholar
FAOSTAT 2013. FAOSTAT Production. FAO, Rome. Retrieved February 20, 2013, from http://faostat.fao.org/site/339/default.aspxGoogle Scholar
FAO/WAAP 2008. Report of the FAO/WAAP workshop on production environment descriptors for animal genetic resources, held Caprarola, Italy, 6–8 May 2008 (ed. D Pilling, B Rischkowsky and BD Scherf), 103pp. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.Google Scholar
Fischer, G 2011. How can climate change and the development of bioenergy alter the long-term outlook for food and agriculture?. In Looking ahead in world food and agriculture: perspectives to 2050 (ed. P Conforti), pp. 95–154. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.Google Scholar
Foresight 2011. The future of food and farming. Final Project Report. The Government Office for Science, London.Google Scholar
Frankham, R 2009. Genetic architecture of reproductive fitness and its consequences. In Adaptation and fitness in animal populations: evolutionary and breeding perspectives on genetic resource management (ed. J Van der Werf, HU Graser, R Frankham and C Gondro), pp. 15–40. Springer, New York.Google Scholar
Freitas, M, Misztal, I, Bohmanova, J, West, JW 2006. Utility of on- and off-farm weather records for studies in genetics of heat tolerance. Livestock Science 105, 223–228.Google Scholar
Gauly, M, Bollwein, H, Breves, G, Brügemann, K, Dänicke, S, Das, G, Demeler, J, Hansen, H, Isselstein, J, König, S, Lohölter, M, Martinsohn, M, Meyer, U, Potthoff, M, Sanker, C, Schröder, B, Wrage, N, Meibaum, B, von Samson-Himmelstjerna, G, Stinshoff, H, Wrenzycki, C 2013. Future consequences and challenges for dairy cow production systems arising from climate change in Central Europe – a review. Animal 7, 843–859.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gill, M, Smith, P 2008. Mitigating climate change: the role of livestock in agriculture. In Livestock and global climate change (ed. P Rowlinson, M Steele and A Nefzaoui), pp. 29–30. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.Google Scholar
Gill, M, Smith, P, Wilkinson, JM 2010. Mitigating climate change: the role of domestic livestock. Animal 4, 323–333.Google Scholar
Gollin, D, Van Dusen, E, Blackburn, H 2008. Animal genetic resource trade flows: economic assessment. Livestock Science 120, 248–255.Google Scholar
Grace, D, Mutua, F, Ochungo, P, Kruska, R, Jones, K, Brierley, L, Lapar, L, Said, M, Herrero, M, DucPhuc, P, Bich Tao, N, Akuku, I, Ogutu, F 2012. Mapping of poverty and likely zoonoses hotspots. ILRI Zoonoses Project 4. Report to Department for International Development, UK, 119pp.Google Scholar
Hall, SJG 2004. Livestock biodiversity. Genetic resources for the Farming of the Future, Blackwell, 264pp.Google Scholar
Hayes, BJ, Bowman, PJ, Chamberlain, AJ, Savin, K, van Tassell, CP, Sonstegard, TS, Goddard, ME 2009. A validated genome wide association study to breed cattle adapted to an environment altered by climate change. PLoS One 4, e6676. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0006676.Google Scholar
Herrero, M, Grace, D, Njuki, J, Johnson, N, Enahoro, D, Silvestri, S, Rufino, MC 2013. The roles of livestock in developing countries. Animal 7 (Suppl. 1), 3–18.Google Scholar
Herrero, M, Thornton, PK, Notenbaert, A, Wood, S, Msangi, S, Kruska, RL, Dixon, J, Bossio, D, van de Steeg, JA, Freeman, HA, Li, X, Rao, PP, Gerard, B 2012. Drivers of change in crop-livestock systems and their potential impacts on agro-ecosystems services and human well-being to 2030. Study commissioned by the Systemwide Livestock Programme 2009–2010 Corporate Report of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi.Google Scholar
Hoberg, EP, Polley, L, Jenkins, EJ, Kutz, SJ 2008. Pathogens of domestic and free-ranging ungulates: global climate change in temperate to boreal latitudes across North America. Revue scientific et technique Office international des Epizooties 27, 511–528.Google Scholar
Hoffmann, I 2010a. Climate change and the characterization, breeding and conservation of animal genetic resources. Animal Genetics 41 (Suppl. 1), 32–46.Google Scholar
Hoffmann, I 2010b. Climate change in context: implications for livestock production and diversity. In Sustainable improvement of animal production and health (ed. NE Odongo, M Garcia and GJ Viljoen), pp. 33–44. IAEA-FAO, Vienna.Google Scholar
Hoffmann, I 2011. Livestock biodiversity and sustainability. Livestock Science 139, 69–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hogerwerf, L, Wallace, RG, Ottaviani, D, Slingenbergh, J, Prosser, D, Bergmann, L, Gilbert, M 2010. Persistence of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus defined by agro-ecological niche. EcoHealth 7, 213–225.Google Scholar
Jarvis, A, Lane, A, Hijmans, RJ 2008. The effect of climate change on crop wild relatives. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 126, 13–23.Google Scholar
Jones, PG, Thornton, PK 2009. Croppers to livestock keepers: livelihood transitions to 2050 in Africa due to climate change. Environmental Science & Policy 12, 427–437.Google Scholar
Joost, S, Colli, L, Bonin, A, Biebach, I, Allendorf, FW, Hoffmann, I, Hanotte, O, Taberlet, P, Bruford, MW 2011. Promoting collaboration between livestock and wildlife conservation genetics communities. Conservation Genetics Resources 3, 785–788.Google Scholar
Kastner, T, Ibarrola Rivas, MJ, Koch, W, Nonhebel, S 2012. Global changes in diets and the consequences for land requirements for food. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109, 6868–6872.Google Scholar
Keith, DA, Akcakaya, HR, Thuiller, W, Midgley, GF, Pearson, RG, Phillips, SJ, Regan, HM, Araujo, MB, Rebelo, TG 2008. Predicting extinction risks under climate change: coupling stochastic population models with dynamic bioclimatic habitat models. Biology Letters 4, 560–563.Google Scholar
König, S, Brügemann, K, Pimentel, ECG 2013. Züchterische Strategien für Tier- und Klimaschutz: Was ist möglich und was brauchen wir. Züchtungskunde 85, 22–233.Google Scholar
Lane, A, Jarvis, A 2007. Changes in climate will modify the geography of crop suitability: agricultural biodiversity can help with adaptation. Journal of Semi-Arid Tropical Agricultural Research 4, 1–12.Google Scholar
Lavergne, S, Mouquet, N, Thuiller, W, Ronce, O 2010. Biodiversity and climate change: integrating evolutionary and ecological responses of species and communities. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics 41, 321–350.Google Scholar
Lobell, DB, Schlenker, W, Costa-Roberts, J 2011. Climate trends and global crop production since 1980. Science 333, 616–620.Google Scholar
Madalena, FE 2008. How sustainable are the breeding programs of the global main stream dairy breeds? – the Latin-American situation. Livestock Research for Rural Development 20. Article #19. Retrieved January 13, 2013, from http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd20/2/mada20019.htmGoogle Scholar
Mawdsley, JR, O'Malley, R, Ojima, DS 2009. A review of climate-change adaptation strategies for wildlife management and biodiversity. Conservation Biology 23, 1080–1089.Google Scholar
McKeon, GM, Stone, GS, Syktus, II, Carter, JO, Flood, NR, Ahrens, DG, Bruget, DN, Chilcott, CR, Cobon, DH, Cowley, RA, Crimp, SJ, Fraser, GW, Howden, SM, Johnston, PW, Ryan, JG, Stokes, CJ, Day, KA 2009. Climate change impacts on northern Australian rangeland livestock carrying capacity: a review of issues. The Rangeland Journal 31, 1–29.Google Scholar
McKinsey Global Institute 2011. Resource revolution: meeting the world's energy, materials, food and water needs (ed. R Dobbs, J Oppenheim, F Thompson, M Brinkmann and M Zornes), 209pp. McKinsey Global Institute.Google Scholar
McManus, C, Prescott, E, Paludo, GR, Bianchini, E, Louvandini, H, Mariante, AS 2008. Heat tolerance in naturalized Brazilian cattle breeds. Livestock Science 120, 256–264.Google Scholar
Mekonnen, MM, Hoekstra, AY 2010. The green, blue and grey water footprint of farm animals and animal products. Value of Water Research Report Series No. 48, UNESCO-IHE, Delft, the Netherlands.Google Scholar
Millenium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) 2005. Ecosystems and human well-being. Biodiversity Synthesis. World Resources Institute, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Mitchell, CE, Tilman, D, Groth, JV 2002. Effects of grassland species diversity, abundance, and composition on foliar fungal disease. Ecology 83, 1713–1726.Google Scholar
Morand, S, Guégan, JF 2008. How the biodiversity sciences may aid biological tools and ecological engineering to assess the impact of climatic changes. Revue scientific et technique Office international des Epizooties 27, 355–366.Google Scholar
National Research Council (NRC) 1971. A guide to environmental research on animals. National Academy of Science, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
OECD-FAO 2009. Agricultural Outlook 2009-2018. OECD-FAO, Paris.Google Scholar
Patterson, CD, Guerin, MT 2013a. The effects of climate change on avian migratory patterns and the dispersal of commercial poultry diseases in Canada – Part I. World's Poultry Science Journal 69, 17–26.Google Scholar
Patterson, CD, Guerin, MT 2013b. The effects of climate change on avian migratory patterns and the dispersal of commercial poultry diseases in Canada – Part II. World's Poultry Science Journal 69, 163–182.Google Scholar
Pelletier, N, Tyedmers, P 2010. Forecasting potential global environmental costs of livestock production 2000–2050. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107, 18371–18374.Google Scholar
Ravagnolo, O, Misztal, I 2002. Effect of heat stress on nonreturn rate in Holsteins: fixed-model analyses. Journal of Dairy Science 85, 3101–3106.Google Scholar
Rockström, J, Steffen, W, Noone, K, Persson, A, Chapin, FS, Lambin, EF, Lenton, TM, Scheffer, M, Folke, C, Schellnhuber, HJ, Nykvist, B, de Wit, CA, Hughes, T, van der Leeuw, S, Rodhe, H, Sörlin, S, Snyder, PK, Costanza, R, Svedin, U, Falkenmark, M, Karlberg, L, Corell, RW, Fabry, VJ, Hansen, J, Walker, B, Liverman, D, Richardson, K, Crutzen, P, Foley, JA 2009. A safe operating space for humanity. Nature 461, 472–475.Google Scholar
Randolph, SE 2009. Perspectives on climate change impacts on infectious diseases. Ecology 90, 927–931.Google Scholar
Rogers, DJ, Randolph, S 2006. Climate change and vector-borne diseases. Advances in Parasitology 62, 345–381.Google Scholar
Seo, SN, Mendelsohn, R 2008. Measuring impacts and adaptations to climate change: a structural Ricardian model of African livestock management. Agricultural Economics 38, 151–165.Google Scholar
Smith, P, Martino, D, Cai, Z, Gwary, D, Janzen, H, Kumar, P, McCarl, B, Ogle, S, O'Mara, F, Rice, C, Scholes, B, Sirotenko, O, Howden, M, McAllister, T, Pan, G, Romanenkov, V, Schneider, U, Towprayoon, S 2007. Policy and technological constraints to implementation of greenhouse gas mitigation options in agriculture. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 118, 6–28.Google Scholar
Springbett, AJ, MacKenzie, K, Woolliams, JA, Bishop, SC 2003. The contribution of genetic diversity to the spread of infectious diseases in livestock populations. Genetics 165, 1465–1474.Google Scholar
Steinfeld, H, Wassenaar, T, Jutzi, S 2006. Livestock production systems in developing countries: status, drivers, trends. Revue scientific et technique Office international des Epizooties 25, 505–516.Google Scholar
Tarawali, SA, Herrero, M, Descheemaeker, K, Grings, E, Blümmel, M 2011. Pathways for sustainable development of mixed crop livestock systems: taking a livestock and pro-poor approach. Livestock Science 139, 11–21.Google Scholar
Thornton, PK 2010. Livestock production: recent trends, future prospects. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 365, 2853–2867.Google Scholar
UNEP 2007. Global Environment Outlook GEO 4 Environment for development. UNEP, Nairobi.Google Scholar
UNEP 2010. Assessing the environmental impacts of consumption and production: priority products and materials. A Report of the Working Group on the Environmental Impacts of Products and Materials to the International Panel for Sustainable Resource Management (ed. E Hertwich, E van der Voet, S Suh, A Tukker, M Huijbregts, P Kazmierczyk, M Lenzen, J McNeely and Y Moriguchi), 112pp. UNEP, Nairobi.Google Scholar
UNEP 2011. Vision for change: recommendations for effective policies on sustainable lifestyles. UNEP, Paris, 86pp.Google Scholar
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) 2013. World Population Data. Retrieved January 30, 2013, from http://esa.un.org/wpp/unpp/panel_population.htmGoogle Scholar
Vermeulen, SJ, Campbell, BM, Ingram, JSI 2012. Climate change and food systems. Annual Review of Environment and Resources 37, 195–222.Google Scholar
Westhoek, H, Rood, T, van den Berg, M, Janse, J, Nijdam, D, Reudink, M, Stehfest, E 2011. The protein puzzle. The consumption and production of meat, dairy and fish in the European Union. PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, The Hague, The Netherlands.Google Scholar
Williams, SE, Shoo, LP, Isaac, JL, Hoffmann, AA, Langham, G 2008. Towards an integrated framework for assessing the vulnerability of species to climate change. PLoS Biology 6, 2621–2626.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
World Bank 2012. Turn down the heat. Why a 4°C warmer world must be avoided. Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Climate Analytics, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
World Economic Forum 2013. Global risks 2013: eighth edition. An initiative of the risk response network. World Economic Forum, Geneva.Google Scholar
Zumbach, B, Misztal, I, Tsuruta, S, Sanchez J, P, Azain, M, Herring, W, Holl, J, Long, T, Culbertson, M 2008. Genetic components of heat stress in finishing pigs: development of a heat load function. Journal of Animal Science 86, 2082–2088.Google Scholar
Zwald, NR, Weigel, KA, Fikse, WF, Rekaya, R 2003. Identification of factors that cause genotype by environment interaction between herds of Holstein cattle in seventeen countries. Journal of Dairy Science 86, 1009–1018.Google Scholar