Future-ready livestock systems: climate resilience, animal welfare and sustainable adaptation

Paksoy Y., Koluman N.

FRONTIERS IN ANIMAL SCIENCE, cilt.7, sa.1972520, ss.1-14, 2026 (ESCI, Scopus)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 7 Sayı: 1972520
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.3389/fanim.2026.1972520
  • Dergi Adı: FRONTIERS IN ANIMAL SCIENCE
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Natural Science Collection (ProQuest), Biological Science Database (ProQuest), Scopus, Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), BIOSIS, Directory of Open Access Journals
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-14
  • Çukurova Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Climate change is increasingly challenging the sustainability, productivity, and

welfare of livestock systems worldwide. Rising temperatures, prolonged droughts,

water scarcity, changing precipitation patterns, and emerging disease risks

directly affect animal health, welfare, feed availability, reproductive performance,

and farm profitability. These pressures are particularly pronounced in climatesensitive

regions such as the Mediterranean, where livestock production is closely

linked to limited natural resources and highly variable environmental conditions.

Strengthening the adaptive capacity of livestock systems therefore requires an

integrated approach that simultaneously addresses animal welfare, environmental

sustainability, technological innovation, and farm resilience. This paper examines

key pathways for developing climate-resilient livestock systems by integrating

animal-based, environmental, technological, and management strategies.

Particular attention is given to climate-adapted breeds and genetic resources,

heat-stress mitigation, improved animal health and welfare management, adaptive

grazing, sustainable pasture and forage management, integrated crop–

livestock systems, and efficient use of water and other natural resources. The

potential of precision livestock farming, digital monitoring, sensor-based technologies,

early-warning systems, and data-driven decision-support tools to

anticipate climate-related risks and improve adaptive management is also considered.

Beyond farm-level interventions, the paper highlights the importance of

enabling mechanisms, including climate-risk assessment, financial instruments,

farmer training, institutional support, and appropriate policy frameworks.

Evidence and examples from different production environments are used to

demonstrate how locally adapted solutions can enhance animal welfare and

productivity while reducing environmental pressures and strengthening resilience

to climatic shocks. The paper emphasizes that climate resilience should not be

addressed solely as a productivity or environmental challenge but through a

systems-based framework that recognizes the interconnections among animal

welfare, ecological sustainability, technological innovation, and socio-economic

viability. Building future-ready livestock systems will therefore require coordinated

research, policy support, investment, and stakeholder engagement to

translate climate adaptation strategies into practical and scalable solutions.