Environmental issues in livestock development and mitigation options -A review

Livestock sector plays a significant role in the rural economy and provides essential commodities and services to the majority of the rural population. Environmental issues are one of the most serious long-term challenges, facing farmers and livestock owners around the word. In many situations, livestock is the major source of land based pollution, emitting nutrients and organic matter, pathogens and drug residues into rivers, lakes and coastal seas. Animals and their wastes emit gases, some of which contributes to climate change, as do land-use changes caused by demand for feed grains and grazing land. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop suitable institutional and policy frameworks at local, national and international level for the suggested changes to occur. This will require strong political commitment, increased knowledge, awareness of the environmental risks of continuing "business as usual" and the environmental benefits of actions in the livestock sector.