Building climate-smart beef systems in livestock farming

Livestock production is essential for Africa, providing food and security. Motshabi Mokolobate-Chadyiwa, a junior researcher in animal breeding and genetics at the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), joins this discussion on how climate-smart beef systems can be designed to enhance adaptation and mitigation strategies in the face of climate change.

Mokolobate-Chadyiwa emphasises the importance of sustainable practices to ensure food security. Climate-smart beef systems are crucial in mitigating the effects of climate change on livestock production.

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for designing climate-smart beef systems.

Record-keeping and tracking data

“There’s no single breeding programme for climate resilience. Farmers should define their breeding objectives based on their specific needs and goals. The breeding programmes should then focus on selecting traits that align with those objectives, including resilience.

“Indigenous breeds are generally well-adapted to local environments and can be a good foundation for breeding programmes,” she explains.

In addition, it is important to consider factors like production systems and resource availability. Solutions should be customised to each farm’s specific context, Mokolobate-Chadyiwa says.

Record-keeping is also important because tracking data allows farmers to measure progress, make informed decisions, and design effective breeding programmes.

“Farmers should record data to track progress and measure effectiveness. They should also optimise the use of existing resources and consider integrating crops and livestock into their production systems. Finally, breeding programmes should be designed with climate resilience in mind, often by incorporating indigenous breeds,” she explains.