Opportunities, Challenges, and Ecological Footprint of Sustaining Small Ruminant Production in the Changing Climate Scenario

The livestock sector has evolved enormously over time. The livestock sector not only supports a vast proportion of individuals across the globe; it also ensures food security. Erratically varying climatic conditions along with population growth are leading to serious competition for land and other natural resources. These factors will hamper global livestock production; amidst this chaos, the small ruminant industry is emerging as a sustainable source of farming. The small ruminant sector is known for its efficiency in producing quality products while using limited resources, its adaptability across various agro-ecological zones, its resilience to climate change, and its minimal eco-footprint. Small ruminants have a higher global average carbon footprint for milk production than cattle and buffalo (6.5 vs 2.8 and 3.4 CO2eq. per kg of milk, respectively), while meat production from small ruminants has a lower carbon footprint than cattle and buffalo (23.8 vs 46.2 and 53.4 kg of CO2eq./kg of carcass weight). The accuracy of genomic prediction for thermo-tolerance by GS was predicted to be between 0.42 and 0.61 using high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes. Despite this, small ruminant farming (sheep and goats) has not received its due recognition and is facing a threat due to climate change. Implementation of efficient ameliorative, adaptation, and mitigation strategies will have a positive impact on the sustainability of small ruminant production. In addition to this, it is of utmost importance to focus on improved breeding strategies, such as selection for adaptation and low methane emission traits, in addition to productivity traits. These breeding strategies will aid in the development of climate-resilient small ruminant breeds, which can produce efficiently across various regions and at the same time have minimal impact on ecosystems.