Lahore, The University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) in Lahore hosted a meeting with a delegation from the USAID/Pakistan’s Office of Climate and Sustainable Growth, focusing on the challenges and opportunities in reducing methane emissions in Pakistan’s livestock and dairy sector. The delegation, led by Deputy Director Mr. Keith Metzner, discussed strategies for climate change mitigation in the industry.
According to University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, the meeting was chaired by UVAS Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Nasim Ahmed and attended by Economics Growth Specialist Mr. Kamran Niazi, Dr. Mubasshra, and other notable figures. The discussions revolved around development initiatives to support the dairy and livestock sector in mitigating climate change impacts in the province. USAID’s future climate and sustainable growth strategies in Pakistan were also reviewed.
Prof. Dr. Nasim Ahmed emphasized the significance of climate change in South Asia, particularly its impact on the sustainability of livestock production. He discussed potential collaboration and funding opportunities from various agencies to address methane production from different livestock systems. A mutual agreement was reached for future collaboration on climate change.
The meeting also included a detailed presentation by Chairman of the Department of Animal Nutrition, Dr. Naveed ul Haq. He outlined the challenges faced in Pakistan related to nutritional strategies, heat stress, housing, management practices, urban electric demand, water supply for livestock, and health management and reproduction. Dr. Haq highlighted UVAS’s goals regarding climate change and its state-of-the-art facilities for conducting experiments on livestock. He also mentioned livestock policy briefs aimed at improving the profitability of the poor farming community and collaborative projects on climate change at national and international levels.
This meeting marks a significant step towards addressing environmental concerns in Pakistan’s vital livestock and dairy sector, focusing on sustainable practices and collaborative efforts to mitigate climate change impacts.