Journal of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine

This study investigated climate-smart livestock production in The Gambia. Three regions (West Coast, Central River, and Upper River Regions) were selected using a cluster sampling method. A total of 344 livestock farmers were randomly selected and individually interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The variables collected included respondents’ socio-economic characteristics, livestock production systems, climate change awareness, and climate-smart livestock production practised by the farmers. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics. The results showed that the majority of livestock farmers were male (86.9%) and mostly (98.5%) married. They were predominantly (74.1%) the Fula (Fulani) ethnic group, and 17.7% of them had an average herd size of 21- 30. Only a few proportions (13.1%) of the participants were aware of methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide as greenhouse gases. However, all the respondents were aware of climate change and its negative impacts on livestock production. The majority (93.9%) of the respondents raised resistant breeds, and 59.6% adapted composting method of waste management as climate-smart livestock strategies. Ranching and using feed additives were the least rated (1.2 %) of the climate-smart livestock production methods practised by the respondents. A good proportion of the respondents (63.7%) practised climate-smart livestock production. It could be concluded that the majority of the farmers were aware of the climate change threat to livestock production, even though ignorant of the greenhouse gases responsible, and were already practising certain climate-smart livestock strategies like rearing resistant breeds and composting as a waste management technique to increase productivity. It is recommended that farmers should be further trained on other climate-smart livestock techniques, such as using feed additives and ranching to reduce greenhouse gases in livestock production.