Milk quality and production under climate change uncertainty: case of the Algerian cattle breed
From Firenze University Press Journal: Journal of Agriculture and Environment for International Development (JAEID)
Ali Boudebbouz, Département d’Écologie et Génie de l’Environnement, Université 8 Mai 1945 Guelma BP 4010 Guelma 24000, Algérie
Aissam Bousbia, Département d’Écologie et Génie de l’Environnement, Université 8 Mai 1945 Guelma BP 4010 Guelma 24000, Algérie
Rassim Khelifa, Department of Botany, University of British Columbia
Meriem Imen Boussadia, Département de Biologie, Université 8 Mai 1945 Guelma BP 4010 Guelma 24000, Algérie
Asma Ben Chabane, Département de Biologie, Université 8 Mai 1945 Guelma BP 4010 Guelma 24000, Algérie.
Lamiss Boumendjel, Département de Biologie, Université 8 Mai 1945 Guelma BP 4010 Guelma 24000, Algérie.
Meryem Sahri, Département de Biologie, Université 8 Mai 1945 Guelma BP 4010 Guelma 24000, Algérie.
Dounya Achwak Chemmam, Département de Biologie, Université 8 Mai 1945 Guelma BP 4010 Guelma 24000, Algérie.
Yassine Gueroui, Département de Biologie, Université 8 Mai 1945 Guelma BP 4010 Guelma 24000, Algérie
George Symeon, Research Institute of Animal Science, HAO-DEMETER, GR58100, Paralimni Giannitsa, Greece.
Sofiane Boudalia, Département d’Écologie et Génie de l’Environnement, Université 8 Mai 1945 Guelma 24000, Algérie
The most prominent cause of climate change is increased greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) in the atmosphere, such as nitrous oxide (N2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane (CH4), which cause irregularity, variability, and unpredictability in rainfall, floods, and drought periods (IPCC, 2021). More than 83% of the total agricultural emissions are due to livestock emissions. Enteric fermentation is considered the biggest contributor (about 5.5 MtCO2e) to livestock emissions, followed by manure left in pasture (4.5 MtCO2e) (Climate Watch, 2021).Among the polluting sectors in Algeria, agriculture contributed 12.3 million tons of CO2 equivalent (MtCO2e) GHG emissions in 2012, which represented 5.63% of its total emissions excluding land-use change and forestry (219 MtCO2e) (Climate Watch, 2021; FAO, 1997). According to Prevention Web, Algeria is ranked 18 out of 184 of the most exposed countries to drought, and about 10% of its population (3,763,800 inhabitants) is exposed to droughts (WBG, 2022). Several studies predict a further future decrease intotal annual rainfall by 15–30% (Christensen et al., 2007) and desert climate expansion at the expense of the temperate northern zone, which is explained both by increasing temperature and decreasing precipitation (Zeroual et al., 2020; Zeroual et al., 2019). Moreover, these negative effects will likely be “severe, pervasive, and irreversible” in the years to come (IPCC, 2014; IPCC, 2021; Mariotti et al., 2015; Sahnoune et al., 2013; Zeroual et al., 2016), which can negatively affect livestock production, crop yields, and threaten food and nutrition security (FAO, 2013).In order to deal with these negative effects, it is urgently neededto transform agriculture, livestock farming, and food systems towards more sustainable production methods (Boudalia et al., 2023; Pretty, 2020). The reduction of carbon footprints and greenhouse gas fluxes, as well as the genetic conservation and preservation of local breeds that are well adapted to the local environment, are both strategies that can be profitable and safeguard natural resources for future generations (Bousbia et al., 2021; Brini, 2021; IPCC, 2014; Khelifa et al., 2021; Martin et al., 2020; Wainwright et al., 2019).The Algerian Brown Atlas breed is well adapted to the harsh local arid and semi-arid environment. The animal is distinguished by tolerance to heat stress and disease resistance (Boushaba et al., 2019; Derradji et al., 2017; Djaout et al., 2017). They are subdivided into several subpopulations that are phenotypically differentiated by at least one different phenotypic and morphological character. Namely, coat color, head shape, and animal size: the Cheurfa ecotype, characterized by a light gray, almost whitish coat; the “Setifiénne” characterized by a uniform blackish coat; the “Guelmoise” ecotype, whose coat is dark gray, commonly; the “Fawn” (Chélifien” and “Tlemcenien”), whosecoatcolorvaries between brown and beige (Boudalia et al., 2020; Bousbia et al., 2010). Recently, we showed in a morphometric study that the Sétifien ecotype was larger than the other ecotypes for mostmorphometric traits (Bousbia et al., 2021). Therefore, the Algerian local cattle population has been estimated by the “Recensement National des Exploitations Agricoles et d’élevage RGA” (MADR, 2001) at nearly 896,287 subjects. Nevertheless, the breed has low milk production, which accounts for 1175 litters/cow/year (Mamine et al., 2011). To remedy this low yield, foreign breeds were imported (Holstein and Montbéliarde breeds), which has led to a profound change in the genetic structure of the dairy herd in Algeria, resulting in a drastic fall in the numbers of head dairy local cattle breed. Thus, the share of local breeds has been reduced from 82% of the total in 1986 to about 48% of the total in 2016 (Wilson, 2018).The performance of imported breeds is lower in hot environments than in their native environments (Madani and Mouffok, 2008; Nigm et al., 2015). It is well established in the literature that when dairy cattle are under heat stress, there is an increase in water intake and a decrease in dry matter, protein, and fat content of milk, as well as milk yield (Gorniak et al., 2014). Moreover, contamination and pathogen proliferation increase under extreme heat and humidity (Montcho et al., 2021), resulting in economic losses for dairy farms (Bohmanova et al., 2007; Martín-Sosa et al., 2003). On the other hand, local breeds can perform well in adverse climatic conditions like high temperatures, drought, and feed and water scarcity (Sejian et al., 2015) because they are more robust and genetically better adapted to their environment (Lwin et al., 2018; Rodríguez-Bermúdez et al., 2019).To our knowledge, the local bovine breed farming sector is not well studied in Algeria, and the potential effect of global warming on crops and/or livestock seems to be underestimated, because, since Algeria’s independence in 1962, public authorities have focused on the development of the extractive industry (Boudalia et al., 2022), while agriculture (crops and livestock) remains dependent on imports. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to: a) summarize farming practices of local bovine farms in the northeast of the country; b) evaluate the physicochemical and microbiological properties of raw milk from the local bovine breed; and c) highlight the climate variability in the study area and discuss the potential of the local cattle breed to contributeto climate change mitigation and increasing resilience through adaptation.
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