A Mini Review on Goat Farming amidst the Present Climate Change

Livestock sector is extremely resilient to climate change and are considered to play a significant role in ensuring the food security of the growing human population on the planet. The impact of climate change is visible all over the world and situation in India is more alarming as our rural economy is primarily dependent on crop-livestock production system. As compared to other livestock, goats are considered as the ideal animal due to its draught resilience, high disease resistance and its ability to survive on limited pasture. This review goes through intothe advantages of rearing goats as compared to other livestock, role of goats in climate change mitigation and socio-economic importance of goats. Goats are crucial for poor farmers, especially in lower and middle-income countries in Asia. They provide milk, meat, and other products which can be readily sold and have low labor requirements, making them ideal for families with limited resources. Furthermore, these low income group families consider goat as better resilient animal to manage with stressors like feed and water scarcity, heat stress and to feed on bushes when compared to other animals like cattle and sheep. These advantages makes goat species to effectively counter the adverse effects associated with climate change and also optimize relevant economic returned through sustained production. Therefore goats can be projected to be the future animal with high potential to combat alarming climate change effects and goats can also plays an important role in ensuring food safety to meet the demands of increasing human population in the near future.

⓿ Goats exhibit high adaptability to heat stress, water scarcity and poor quality forage.

⓿ Goat farming enhances income diversification and nutritional security for landless farmers.