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Global demand for animal products is extremely increasing in the future period, which mainly because of improvement in the global standard of living. In the meantime, global climate change is a pressure to animal production due to the impact on quality of forages, water availability, animal and milk production, animal health, animal reproduction and biodiversity. This paper reviews the impacts of climate change on animal production and converse contributions of animal production sector to global climate variation and specific climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies in animal production sector. Global climate change will affect animal production and consequently food security mainly in tropical regions. This paper also reviewed that, converse contribution of animal production sector in emission of GHGs to the atmosphere for global climate change. Therefore, global climate change adaptation, mitigation practices and policy frameworks are critical to protect animal production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: An effort was made by the Ethiopian government to increase the level of technical efficiency of farmers across the country. However, due to climate change, smallholder farmers were facing challenges to increase technical efficiency in crop production. Adaptation to climate change is crucial to uphold and increase food crop productivity. This study analysis the impact of climate change adaptation and policy issues on food crop production efficiency in Kellem Wollega, Ethiopia. Methods: The data was gathered from 400 randomly selected food crop smallholder farmers. The Cobb-Douglas production function was used by including the climate change adaptation measures as explanatory variables in technical inefficiency. Simulation was made to adaption measures that can be influenced by the policy variables to see their impact on the level of technical efficiency. Result: The finding show that the use of adaptive practices (multiple crop type, improved crop varieties, adjusting planting dates and irrigation) had a significant and positive effect on technical efficiency whereas land fragmentation reduces efficiency level. Regarding simulation of policy variables the result show that the mean technical efficiency would increase with rising level of improved crop varieties, adjusting planting dates and irrigation practices. The results of the simulation of land fragmentation climate change adaptation variables show that the mean technical efficiency declines as a result of land fragmentation. Empirical results reveal that with appropriate policy intervention (climate change adaptation measures) the technical efficiency level of food crop farmers can be enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In contemporary world food crop production is under pressure due to change in climate. In developing nation climate change is a treat both in food crop production and food security. Analysing farmers' climate change adaptation measures and understanding the barriers provides clear guidance to address constraints that impede food crop producers' adaptation. Methods: A stratified random sampling technique was used to sample 200 food crop producers for primary data gathering. The multinomial logit model was used to determine the factors that affect the selection of adaptation measures to climate change and factor analysis was used to identify factors that impede food crop producers' ability to adapt to climate change. Result: The result of the multinomial logit model shows that various socio-economic factors (family size, education, climate change awareness, farming experience, nonfarm income, farm size, distance to farmland, extension services and access to credit) influence farmers' choices regarding climate change adaptation strategies in the study area. The result of the varimax rotate principal component analysis found four factors that are detrimental to food crop producers in adapting to climate change. These principal constraints are institution and government, technology and inputs, information and knowledge and belief, culture and participation as factors that hinder farmers from adapting to climate change. Thus, there is room for government and development partners to strengthen the adaptive capacities of farmers by resolving problems related to institutions, government policy, technology, inputs availability and information regarding climate change to minimize the potential impact and loss in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Large White Yorkshire (LWY) breed has been extensively used for crossbreeding in India. Genetic evaluation of pre- weaning mortality (PWM) in LWY pigs maintained at Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu was done to understand adaptability of the breed to tropical conditions. Methodology: Pre-weaning mortality was recorded as a binomial trait, for which threshold models have been found to be appropriate. (Co)Variance components for random sources of variation including direct genetic, maternal genetic, maternal permanent environmental and common litter were estimated using linear and threshold models. Factors including inbreeding of the individual animal affecting the trait were included as fixed effects in the mixed models used. Conclusion: The pre-weaning mortality of LWY pigs was comparatively lower indicating better adaptability of the breed. Inbreeding levels above 6 per cent were found to increase PWM. Common litter had significant influence on the genetic parameter estimates. Estimates obtained using threshold model were higher than those obtained by linear models. Threshold models provided solutions for complex models, which had convergence problems with the linear, REML method of estimation. Heritability estimates for PWM obtained through this study could be useful in formulation of breeding plan for LWY pigs in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Variety development is a continuous process that caters for the ever changing farmer crop growing conditions. Changing climatic conditions, soil fertility conditions, crop disease and pest regimes as well as farmer agronomic practices require that new varieties adapted to new practices be availed to growers so that they continue to get high yields. Initial variety development processes are carried out by the breeder, usually on station and usually involves aggregation of traits of interest into a genotype with little or no information about the response of the genotype to different farmer cropping situations. However, before the varieties can be recommended to growers, they need to be evaluated in multi-environment trials (MET) in order to identify varieties with broad adaptation for general recommendation and those with specific adaptation for targeted environment production. Methods: In order to evaluate the adaptation and stability of newly developed tobacco varieties to three growing locations in Zimbabwe, seven varieties were evaluated in a randomised complete block design with three replicates at Kutsaga Research Station near Harare, Trelawney and Tengwe over three seasons ranging from 2013 to 2015. Result: The study results showed significant differences among the varieties and locations tested for saleable yield (P<0.05). Of all the varieties tested, T76 was the most stable showing consistently high performance across the seasons and locations tested followed by T75. However, ETH03 was the least stable variety of them all. Unlike what is currently believed in the tobacco industry in Zimbabwe, the variety K RK26 is no longer the most broadly adapted. Based on the study results, the varieties, T76, T75 and ETH06 are stable and, therefore, recommended for growing across the whole of the tobacco farming belt in Zimbabwe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was conducted to explore the role of extension personal suggestions to mitigate the effect of climate change in agriculture. Study area was four districts from southern and northern zone of Haryana namely Karnal, Kurukhestra, Rewari and Bhiwani. The results showed that vast majority of respondents suggested about new technology like laser land leveler, zero tillage, seed treatment technique, water conservation technology, micro irrigation technology and poly house. Whereas, suggestions about enhancing the farmer knowledge about different subsidy plan guide about crop insurance, soil/water testing and advice to come in Kissan Mela were maximum to mitigate the impact of climate change. Data further revealed that maximum extension personnel agreed on that they suggest strategies like guidance about crop insurance, to lower down the input cost and for better adaptation to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]