TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE SMALL RUMINANT PRODUCTION SYSTEM IN RESPONSE TO CLIMATE

CHANGECicero H. O. Lallo

Open Tropical Forage and Animal-Production Laboratory, Department of Food ProductionFaculty of Food and Agriculture The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine (campus) Trinidad and Tobago West

Indies.

INTRODUCTION

The English speaking Caribbean is a group of island states with a single market economy that make up CARICOM. IPCC (2007) has indicated that these small island states will be hardest hit by climate change.

Facing the Future• changes in population growth in the Caribbean as indicated by the United Nation Secretarist (2009) to 2050 will put increased pressure on food production systems. • When climate, consumption pattern and demand for

animal protein are taken into consideration added pressure will be placed on the current Production

systems. • Thus, the need to develop new strategies, taking advantage of more sustainable intensive systems and/or

minimizing the negative impacts of climate change on small ruminant agriculture by educating and

empowering our farmers to be climate smart in order to maintain or enhance food and protein security

• Small ruminants because of their multi-functionality play a vital role for resource poor farmers in terms of livelihood and poverty alleviation in CARICOM. However, the thermal challenge associated with climate variability and change will have negative socio-economic impact on farmers and their livelihood.

Impact of climate on small ruminant agriculture in CARICOM

• Lauckner and Jones (2013) reported that Trinidad is experiencing the same phenomenon of warming as is being reported else where in the world.

• climate change effect is more than just global warming Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change forecasted that increased frequency in extreme events will have negative impact on natural eco-systems in many parts of the globe.

• There has been a heavy import of animals (exotic genetics) into the region from temperate environment over the last decade. Extreme events such as heat wave and extended drought periods can have negative impact on these non-adapted genetics/animals.

. Climate will affect small ruminant agriculture in CARICOM in a number

of ways

• Feed grain availability and price• Pasture and forage crop production and

availability• Health , growth and reproduction and • Disease and pest distribution• Water scarcity and quality• By-product using and soil infertility• Bio-diversity, loss of genetics

Indirect Effect on Small Ruminant performance

• The climatic effect on animal performance for livestock at pasture under rain fed conditions would be both direct and indirect. The indirect effect would be largely nutritional in nature linked to the availability of forage (quantity and quality) in the rainy season as opposed to the dry season

The effect of season on the nutritive value of rain fed pasture in Jamaica

•. This study concluded that the nutritive value was highest during the intermediate season and lowest during the dry season.

•Therefore, the ability of the forage based diets to provide adequate nutrients in the required amounts can be significantly compromised in the dry season, leading to under nutrition, resulting in declined flock performance

Season/Harvest method

Chemical Components and IVOMD

Mean ±SD* Min. Max.

Dry Season CP 91.6 39.4 33.4 182.5 NDF 633.8 73.4 518.6 801.6 ADF 440.7 62.2 300.4 557.8 ADL 80.1 20.6 36.9 112.5 Cellulose 360.6 48.0 250.2 448.7 Hemicellulose 193.1 48.1 101.4 319.7 ΨIVOMD 508.3 119.0 305.4 706.8 Intermediate CP 117.2 34.2 49.4 181.3 Season NDF 652.6 54.0 557.4 760.8 ADF 421.5 39.7 311.3 500.7 ADL 84.5 15.6 52.3 111.5 Cellulose 337.0 32.1 249.3 402.0 Hemicellulose 231.1 54.6 126.0 336.9 ΨIVOMD 568.7 90.0 376.1 712.0 Wet Season CP 117.8 35.2 48.1 187.5 NDF 734.1 38.2 664.6 820.4 ADF 401.6 40.0 329.6 492.2 ADL 71.1 16.4 39.2 110.4 Cellulose 330.5 33.7 257.5 403.9 Hemicellulose 332.5 30.0 266.3 397.9 ΨIVOMD 490.0 82.0 289.0 656.7 91

How DO WE MITIGATE AGAINST THIS AND MINIMIZE THE EFFECT ON ANIMALS

Pasture Herbage

Quantity/YieldNutritive vale

Change mindsetConservation Methods

haySilage

Use of silvo-pastoral systemsFodder Banks

Using TMR Rations

EnvironmentWATER

Season/climateSoil

Mgt. of PastureN fertilization

irrigationHarvesting HeightMaturity/ pasture

rotationLeaf/Stem Ratio

Degree of Defoliation/stocking

density

Ingredients Composition (g/kg DM)Diets T0 Control T1 T2 T3Mulberry, dried leaves

180 300 80 100

Rice Bran - 500 - 400Cracked Rice - - 670 300Molasses - 100 50 40Lamb protein supplement

- 50 150 100

Limestone - 20 - 20Mineral mix - 30 50 40Goat ration 820 - - -Total 1000 1000 1000 1000Calculated Chemical composition ,( g/kg DM) and feed costCrude protein 12.90 13.10 13.2 13.3ME,(MJ/kg DM) 9.10 9.00 9.90 9.40

Calcium 1.08 1.96 1.58 1.96Phosphorus 0.54 1.04 0.77 1.09

Ca:P 2.00 1.88 2.06 1.80Cost, US$/kg 0.46 0.24 0.39 0.31Cost,J$/kg 39.68 20.24 33.35 26.28

  Treatments ±SEM P-Value

Diets T0 T1 T2 T3    

Initial LW (kg) 20.80 20.10 19.90 19.00 1.23 0.950

Final LW kg 31.06 23.60 25.10 27.20 1.38 0.202

LW Gain kg 10.26 3.50 5.20 8.20 0.65 0.006

ADG g/d 114.0 38.8 57.8 91.1 7.2 0.008

Feed intake g/d 758 620 658 631   0.05

g/100gLW 3.04 2.91 3.08 2.77 0.13 0.008

FCR 6.7 25.6 22.5 8.4 3.53 0.159

Cost/kg DMI/d 30.1 12.6 21.9 16.6 1.2 -

Cost/k LW 267.4 518.8 751.7 219.7 140.7 0.242

Return/kg LW 385 385 385 385 0.0 -

IOFC/kg LW 182.3 64 109 246.4 140.7 0.242

Direct impact on Small Ruminant Production in CARICOM

• The direct effect on feed intake, growth rate and reproductive performance are due largely to heat stress

There is a thermal range within which the animal is able to maintain homeothermy through behavioral and physiological mechanisms

Response of an animal to potential thermal stressors (adapted from: Hahn et al. 2003)

A critical issue in the region is the belief that Hair sheep and goats are fully adapted to our tropical conditions. As such,

animals are turned out to pastures without shade or provision of water.

  Respiration Rate (br /min) Rectal Temperature ( °C)

Breed Type AM Mean (± SEM)

PM Mean (± SEM) AM Mean (± SEM)

PM Mean(± SEM)

BB 39.22 (±1.44) 110.5 (±2.78) 38.38 (± 0.11) 39.14 (± 0.10)

WA 38.43 (±1.41) 116.2 (±4.63) 38.41 (± 0.08) 39.45 (± 0.10)

Level of Sig. p>0.05 p>0.05 p>0.05 P<0.001

Reproduction

Wet Season Intermediate Season Dry Season0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Kids Born/ Season

Mitigating the direct impact of climate Change

• Modifying the Environment• Using open sided naturally ventilated housing• Developing sustainable intensive systems

Mitigating the direct impact of climate Change

• Addition of shade and water at pasturee• Conservation of our genetic bio-diversity• Preparing Small Ruminant farmers to be

Climate Smart

The way forward in response to climate Change and enhancing CARICOM protein

security• Characterize and develop a climatic zone map for the region based on THI similar to rainfall

pattern map created by meteorological bodies.• In conjunction with the meteorological services and network news develop a system for

forecasting THI as a feature of the weather news in an effort to develop an early warning forecast for small ruminant farmers (this would be useful to other livestock farmers).

• Develop education programs to run workshops to educate and train small ruminant farmers what THI numbers mean and what actions can be taken to attenuate the effect and reduce heat stress on their animals. This should also include nutrition and the management of animals at pasture.

• Develop training program to have farmers adopt methods of forage conservation and how to meet the nutritional needs of their animals in a changing climate.

• CARICOM need to train a cadre of research personnel in animal breeding, animal production and animal nutrition and forage agronomy to develop breeding and selection and management program to harness the indigenous climate resilient species to enhance protein security. CARICOM does not have a critical mass of these expertise in the region due to brain drain and aging local expertise, and this must be addressed if CARICOM intend to drive the development of the food and protein security in the livestock sector.

Thank you the end

Thank you the end