Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Extensive livestock production is extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change, especially droughts and higher temperatures. It is therefore important to understand the effect of climate on livestock production.
Lower rainfall and higher temperatures influence both the feed intake of livestock and reduce the quality and quantity of forage, resulting in decreased livestock production. Heat stress compromises the growth and product quality of animals, and is a common cause of reproductive inefficiency, since the fertility of males and females is affected.
A total of 84% of South Africa’s land is available for agriculture, of which 13% is cultivated. The remaining 71% is only suitable for extensive livestock farming. Since 71% of South Africa’s agricultural land is only suitable for livestock farming, towns in non-metropolitan areas came into being largely as a result of the commercial livestock farming activities in the district. This implies that by far the majority of town economies and the sustenance of the associated mostly poverty-stricken peri-urban communities are dependent on the money spent by commercial and emerging livestock farmers in the district.
In addition, livestock is critical for many of the poor, often contributing to multiple livelihood objectives and offering ways out of poverty. Livestock products are also important for early childhood development.
The livestock sector makes a substantial contribution to the GDP from agriculture, as indicated below (Economic Review of the South African Agriculture 2018/19):
- Field crops – 21,9%.
- Horticulture – 29,7%.
- Livestock – 48,4%.
The commercial livestock sector consists of more than 26 000 commercial farms/farming units (Stats SA Census of Commercial Agriculture 2017 Report), which employs approximately 272 000 people (Stats SA Agricultural Survey, 2019), with an estimated 1,5 million direct dependents.
South Africa’s emerging and communal farmers comprise about 1,4 million households involved in livestock production (613 000 own cattle, 429 000 own goats, 215 000 own sheep, and 112 000 own pigs), with an additional 10 million dependants. The livestock sector, therefore, directly supports close to 13 million people (22% of the population).
Climate change can have a devastating effect on the part of the population that is dependent on livestock. The beef cattle sector, with 12,2 million cattle, is the most important ruminant livestock sector (as in 2021) compared to the 1,2 million dairy cattle, 21,2 million sheep, and 5,1 million goats (DALRRD, Newsletter: August 2021). – Prof Michiel Scholtz, Prof Norman Maiwashe, Prof Linky Makgadlela from the ARC, and the BGP (Beef Genomics Programme) of Southern Africa.
Workshop
The BGP Consortium will host a workshop on climate-smart beef in Q1 of 2026 in Pretoria with the following focus:
- Facilitate experience-sharing among research collaborators.
- Identify and discuss major research needs for livestock greenhouse gas (GHG) measurement and mitigation in South African agri-food systems.
- Foster collaborations and partnerships among stakeholders.
The outcome of such engagement should be the development of a science-based intervention to address adaptation, mitigation, and resilience. This approach is in contrast with temperate northern hemisphere countries, where the focus is mainly on mitigation.
The proposed workshop would consist of a background session in which presentations will be made by a diverse lineup of speakers, especially focussing on research and development priorities for climate change and funding opportunities. This session will be followed by sessions where possible key interventions are discussed, as well as projects that can be developed.
The workshop includes several regional and international experts on the topics of interest and collaborates with the Qinisa Project – a regional initiative aimed at strengthening the cooperation and coordination of agricultural GHG research activities in Southern Africa.
The workshop will, amongst other relevant topics, address initiatives to accelerate reduced emissions in indigenous breeds in Africa, look at the current state of research on livestock GHG emissions and mitigation in Sub-Saharan Africa, vulnerability mapping for farming systems in South Africa, and explore opportunities for the beef cattle industry to take full advantage of the genomics revolution to respond to climate change.
Further papers will cover a bibliographic mapping for climate-smart beef production in South Africa, an overview of the contribution of the different South African livestock industries to GHG emissions, and a review of proposed research and development innovations for Southern Africa to provide a perspective on sustainable beef production within the realities of climate change.
The workshop will conclude with a panel discussion where possible key interventions are discussed, as well as projects that can be developed, and three breakaway sessions that will focus on the themes of a regional approach, industry collaboration and research, and development, respectively.
