How climate change affects animal health

0:00 [Music] globally 33 of high quality protein and 17 of calories in our diets come from livestock which are an important source of key micronutrients even adding a small amount of food from animal sources to the diets of children in developing countries can have a meaningful impact on their health and development but climate change is impacting the health of livestock and affecting the livelihoods of millions of small-scale livestock Farmers around the world in Ethiopia rainfall has become so unpredictable that farmers are struggling to keep their feed crops and cattle healthy changing weather patterns have also led to changes in the distribution of mosquitoes flies and ticks causing

0:45 disease outbreaks in new animal populations climate change has also led to more Locust plagues which destroy fields and leave even less for cattle to eat without enough feed the animals become sick produce less milk and many die Ethiopian smallholders and their livestock are not the only ones battling the effects of climate change in Central America's dry corridor from Costa Rica Nicaragua and Honduras to El Salvador and Guatemala increasingly frequent and adverse climate impacts are forcing Farmers to abandon their animals and their land at the same time farmers in Madagascar are dealing with the worst drought in 40 years and millions of pastoralists and

1:31 their Livestock in Pakistan and South Sudan have been displaced by floods over their lifespan stressed and unhealthy livestock produce less milk but continue to contribute towards greenhouse gas emissions they are also more vulnerable to disease that could ultimately spread to humans how can we help farmers take action to reduce the impacts of climate change on their animals and protect their livelihoods by addressing climate-related threats to Animal Health the food and agriculture organization of the United Nations supports farmers in building more sustainable and resilient agri-food systems this is done through good production practices vaccinations biosecurity and securing feed for their animals additionally FAO has helped Implement

2:17 several projects to address climate-related threats to Animal Health this includes the treatment of millions of hectares of locust infested lands across Eastern Africa and Southwest Asia preventing over 4.5 million tons of crop losses and feed for livestock helping to ensure Animal Health and increase food security for millions of people FAO also developed an early warning and risk management tool to help governments respond quickly to outbreaks of climate-related insect-borne diseases such as Rift Valley fever which kills cattle Buffalo sheep goats and camels there are also Global and Regional strategies in place to control and eliminate priority animal diseases such as foot and mouth disease African swine fever and pester Petty ruminar PPR

3:04 when it comes to agricultural policy fao's one health approach focuses on transforming agri-food systems to protect the health of people animals and the environment for more sustainable food and feed production FAO also promotes Animal Health Innovations to help manage the threat of emerging diseases brought about by climate change by working to reduce climate risks we can help smallholder farmers raise healthy livestock sell more products and enjoy a more nutritious and diverse diet for many years to come [Music]