Pathways for enhancing sustainability and resilience in India's critical small dairy operations

Dairy

India

Market & Price Trends

Innovation & Technology

Published Dec 21, 2023

Tridge summary

A new study in the Journal of Dairy Science is highlighting the steps that small dairy farms in India can take to reduce their carbon footprints while still providing economic and nutritional benefits. The study, led by Anjumoni Mech, Ph.D., of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research's National Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology, analyzed 47 small farms in Karnataka to understand their impact on the environment and potential for sustainability improvements. The study revealed that the most effective interventions for reducing the carbon footprint in smallholder dairy farms include maintaining high-yielding animals and adopting appropriate feeding strategies for better feed utilization.

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Original content

India—with a dairy sector mainly composed of small dairy farms—is one of the largest milk producers in the world and home to more dairy cows than any other country. Its small farms feed millions and are critical sources of employment, income, and nutrition.As the dairy sector works toward reducing its emissions and contributing to global sustainability goals, a new study in the Journal of Dairy Science is illuminating the steps these valuable small dairy farms can take to lower their carbon footprints while providing enormous economic and nutritional benefits.The study's lead investigator, Anjumoni Mech, Ph.D., of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research's National Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology in Karnataka, India, explained, "The small dairy farms that dominate India's dairy sector—73 million, in fact—have only two dairy cows on average but contribute 72% of India's milk production. So, understanding their unique impact on the environment, and how it could be ...

Source: Phys