Opinion paper: Measuring livestock robustness and resilience: are we on the right track?

摘要

Animal production is a cornerstone of employment and social structures in rural areas and, in some cases, it is highly dependent on the environment, which in a context of climate change makes it very vulnerable. For animal production systems to remain sustainable, this challenge must be managed to achieve economic stability and good welfare. The terms ‘robustness’ and ‘resilience’ are often used to describe a state of relative stability when animal production is confronted against global warming. However, the assessment of robustness and resilience in animal production systems has some gaps that need to be addressed prior to any definition of strategies to improve them. The methods to assess robustness and resilience have to be specific and provide a comprehensive and dynamic assessment. This opinion paper introduces these needs and suggests some potential solutions to tackle them, using dairy production as example as it is one of the animal production systems most exposed to forecasted environmental changes endangering feed scarcity, emergence of new diseases and increased heat stress.