Given that 53% of the world’s food comes from smallholder farmers, their resilience to climate change is a survival imperative for developing economies including that of Pakistan. We have identified the key issues of greenhouse-gas production, continuity of water supply, sustainability of animal feed resources, climate resilience of livestock and social issues including family dynamics and population migration as being essential for their survival. Many rural communities in Pakistan are well prepared for global warming and its consequences, but further investments from the corporate sector and governments are required to boost their long-term resilience.

The use of eco-friendly feed additives such as yeast in poultry diet as a tool for sustainable poultry farming in place of antibiotic has been advocated. However, the effects of yeast-based diets on laying performance in chickens are conflicting. Pooled results from 16 studies showed that egg production increased with the addition of yeast in layer diet at a rate not exceeding 5 g per kilogram feed. Results suggest that yeast can replace antibiotics in the diets of laying chicken.

Finding changes of bacterial community in cattle in response to different diets is important because feed is directly involved in the rumen fermentation process. The present study was conducted to determine the effects of supplementing protein and energy sources on the rumen bacterial community in cattle, and it was found that their communities are affected by these sources. The results are interesting because they highlighted the importance of choosing appropriate dietary supplements for improving cattle production.

The Qinghai Tibetan plateau is characterised as a harsh high-altitude environment inhabited by a large number of ruminants. Some gaps remain in the current understanding of whether rumen bacteria help the adaptation of ruminants to the harsh environments, and this was studied by comparing indigenous and introduced ruminants. The present study showed that yak, which has evolved as a distinctive species with specialised physiological and anatomical adaptations, has a rumen bacterial population that favours its survival in this extreme environment.

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a well-documented health benefit for humans. However, CLA is predominantly produced endogenously via rumen biohydrogenation and it could be modulated by altering the relative abundance of Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens and B. proteoclasticus in the rumen, as a bacterial regulator on ruminal biohydrogenation. Inclusion of sunflower oil and Piper betle powder in goat diet enhanced milk yield and milk composition, including the CLA concentration of milk. Notably, these supplementations in goat diet had mostly positive effects on animal performance.

Starch escaping ruminal degradation reduces fermentation losses in the rumen for more efficient digestion and utilisation in the small intestine. Treating cassava chip with chemical and/or physical treatments can reduce starch degradation, which possibly alters the rumen fermentation characteristics and sustains the growth of the animal. This study evaluated an approach to enhance bypass starch to allow more starch to be efficiently utilised in the small intestine of goats.

The ruminant industry could employ biological enhancement of rice straw silage to boost the nutrient content and avert environmental hazards caused by the burning of rice straw. There is a dearth of information regarding the effects of biological additives in different varieties of rice straw silage. This study is beneficial for researchers and commercial or subsistence ruminant producers to improve straw nutrient quality, animal performance and revenue.

Egg quantity and quality are important to consumers in tropical countries as animal protein consumption is below 65 g/day. To promote egg consumption among low-income people, the protein–energy requirement for quail egg production was tested. Quail egg production on 18% CP diet produced the best hen-day egg production and egg mass, while 24% CP diet ensured higher egg-weight and -quality traits.