Camels and Climate Resilience: Insights from the Livestock Genetics & Genomics Conference
I had the privilege of speaking at the Livestock Genetics & Genomics Conference at PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi (19–20 November 2025), sharing the story of camels, their resilience, and the pastoralists who safeguard this heritage. I highlighted six remarkable Balochistan breeds—Koho, Raidi, Lassi, Raigi, Brohi, and Kharani. I spoke about their vital role in supporting food security in a warming world. The talk also explored the growing potential of camel dairying as a climate-resilient alternative to conventional livestock systems. Engaging questions, reflections, and policy discussions during the session reinforced a shared commitment to sustainable, climate-smart food systems. I am grateful to the organizers, faculty, students, and fellow scientists for an inspiring exchange, the journey of the camel continues, carrying hope for a resilient future. I hereby share my views and philosophy about the food security and policy for the policymakers in the country and the related international organizations.
A Policy Vision for Resilient Food Systems, Indigenous Genetic Resources, and Ethical Modernization
Pakistan stands at an agricultural crossroads. The accelerating heatwaves, prolonged drought cycles, rapid urbanization, and shrinking rangelands are reshaping the landscapes that once supported some of the world’s richest livestock biodiversity. Yet, within these challenges lies a profound opportunity: to harness the extraordinary resilience of Pakistan’s native livestock breeds and simultaneously build a regulated, ethical, high-input dairy sector that complements—rather than replaces—our indigenous systems.
This article presents a forward-looking policy framework rooted in scientific evidence, field experience, and centuries-old pastoral knowledge. It argues for a dual strategy: protecting and uplifting native, low-input livestock systems while strictly regulating modern factory-style dairying through controlled imports, animal welfare safeguards, and transparent product labeling.
The Unmatched Value of Pakistan’s Native Livestock Breeds
Pakistan is home to more than 20 recognized camel breeds and dozens of native cattle, sheep, goat, and yak breeds. These animals are not simply productive units—they are living heritage, shaped by centuries of survival in climates where exotic breeds cannot last a season.
1. Climate-Resilient by Nature
Native livestock are biological masterpieces of adaptation. They thrive where temperatures exceed 50°C and drops below -30°C, where water is scarce, and where vegetation is sparse. Scientific studies consistently show that indigenous breeds possess:
- Superior heat tolerance
- Disease resilience
- Efficient water and feed utilization
- High mobility and foraging efficiency
- Low mortality in drought and climatic stress
This resilience is not accidental; it is the result of centuries of natural selection guided by herding communities whose knowledge is rooted in lived experience. I was really amazed by the potential of the native livestock brees, particularly the documentation of the six camel breeds of Balochistan (Kohi, Raidi, Lassi, Raigi, Brahvi, Kharani) , reinforces this reality: these animals are superbly adapted to mountainous, desert, coastal, and steppe ecosystems, performing where most other species fail.
2. Low-Input, High-Value Production Systems
Native breeds flourish in production systems requiring zero or very low financial inputs:
- They rely on locally available natural feed resources.
- They do not require climate-controlled housing system.
- They consume little water compared to exotic cattle, especially the camels.
- Their disease burden is extremely low.
- They reproduce efficiently under mobility and pasture conditions.
In economic terms, this translates into high net productivity, even when absolute yields (e.g., daily milk) are modest. Pastoral and smallholder systems provide 80% of Pakistan’s milk, meat, fiber, skins, transport, draught power, and rural livelihoods, despite being marginalized in policy frameworks.
3. Multi-Purpose and the True All-Rounders
Indigenous livestock are multipurpose biological assets. They simultaneously provide:
- Milk
- Meat
- Wool, hair, mohair
- Draught power
- Transport
- Riding and racing
- Recreation and sports
- Cultural and social value
- Ecosystem management (seed dispersal, nutrient cycling)
- Bank on hooves
- An asset when crops are failed due to drought, floods and other reasons.
This multi-functionality is especially important for landless, small, and medium farmers who depend on livestock not just for income but for life itself.
4. Deep Cultural and Heritage Significance
These breeds are living testimonies of Pakistan’s pastoral civilizations—Brahvi, Baloch, Pashtun, Sindhi, Kashmiri, Baltistani and others—whose knowledge systems embody centuries of breeding, husbandry, and health management. Their expertise is an irreplaceable national asset.
As research by Raziq et al. (2010–2024) has repeatedly shown, pastoralists possess the most accurate early-detection systems for diseases, drought cycles, forage availability, and reproductive timing, based not on equipment but on generational learning.
A System Under Threat
Despite their value, native livestock systems are under immense pressure:
- Rapid urbanization
- Land grabbing
- Shrinking grazing routes
- Loss of rangelands to mechanization and monocultures
- Climate extremes
- Market access barriers
- Lack of veterinary infrastructure
- Absence of policy recognition
These pressures threaten not only livelihoods but also genetic resources that may prove essential for global food security under climate change.
Without intervention, Pakistan risks losing the very breeds that can survive the future.
Policy Priority: Support Indigenous Livestock Systems as a National Strategy
To secure national food stability, Pakistan must formally recognize and prioritize the native livestock sector.
1. Create National Protection Zones for Indigenous Breeds
Each breed should have ecological protection zones, ensuring conservation of habitat, grazing rights, and breeding integrity. Such zone must be equiped with sophisticated, precise, and sustainable reproductive and health systems technologies. Also, the government should help in establishing the breeds’ societies and start a recording system with the perspectives of the relevant breeds’ keepers.
2. Provide Market Incentives and Premium Branding
Native livestock products should be officially labeled and promoted as:
- A2 Milk
- Organic meat and milk
- Pastoral products
These labels reflect:
- superior nutritional quality
- ethical production
- natural grazing systems
- absence of industrial additives
This mirrors global trends where consumers pay high premiums for pasture-based, heritage-breed, and organic products.
3. Establish Pastoral Cooperatives and Market Access
Support farmers in forming cooperatives to:
- organize collection
- enhance bargaining power
- achieve value addition
- access urban markets
- negotiate fair pricing
4. Strengthen Extension and Veterinary Services
Camel-specialized veterinary teams, mobile clinics, and field training can significantly reduce losses and enhance productivity.
5. Support Value Chains and Product Innovation
This includes:
- camel milk processing
- local cheese varieties (artisan cheese)
- dried meat (Persenda)
- wool and fiber-based crafts
- eco-tourism and cultural festivals
The world is moving toward niche animal products; Pakistan should lead rather than follow.
The Second Pillar: A Regulated, Ethical, High-Input Dairy Sector
Pakistan’s growing population demands more milk and meat than native systems alone can currently supply—especially given the economic pressures on pastoralists.
For this reason, a strictly regulated high-input system can be allowed, under the following conditions:
1. Recognition of Factory Farming as a Separate System
High-yielding exotic breeds should be labeled as:
- Factory-farmed dairy cattle
- A1 milk producers
- High-input animals
2. Strict Health, Genetic, and Environmental Regulations
Exotic cattle must be:
- imported under strict quarantine
- certified disease-free (especially for diseases absent in Pakistan)
- housed in climate-controlled environments
- provided proper welfare conditions
- monitored for waste management and emissions
3. Animal Welfare Must Be Central
Factory farming in the Global North is associated with:
- cruelty
- extreme confinement
- disease outbreaks
- high mortality
Pakistan must avoid this model entirely and build a humane, welfare-first system that aligns with Islamic ethical principles and global best practices.
4. Guarantee Consumer Clarity
Consumers must know whether their milk is:
- A1 factory milk (exotic cattle)
- A2 pastoral milk (native breeds)
- camel milk (with its unique therapeutic qualities), it needs special branding and clarity
This transparency protects human health and enables informed choices.
Camel: Pakistan’s Best Choice for Climate-Smart Dairy and Beef
Your extensive fieldwork and scientific documentation highlight an extraordinary truth: Pakistan has some of the best dairy camel breeds in the world.
Daily yields range from:
- 8 to 18 kg per day
- with lactation durations of 310 days
- and remarkable feed and water efficiency
Camel milk is not only abundant—it is nutritionally superior, rich in immunoglobulins, lactoferrin, insulin-like proteins, and bioactive peptides known to support human health (Konuspayeva et al., 2014; Raziq et al., 2011–2024).
Camel Meat: A Growing Opportunity
Camel growth rates are competitive with beef breeds, and studies show:
- high lean meat content
- low cholesterol
- high polyunsaturated fatty acids
- excellent dressing percentages
This makes camel meat one of the healthiest red meats available.
Camel: The Climate Animal of the Future
Camels thrive in:
- high heat
- low water environments
- saline vegetation
- rugged terrain
They are already recognized globally as the future livestock species for arid and semi-arid regions.
Pakistan must place camels at the center of its climate-resilient food strategy.
Conclusion: A Balanced, Future-Proof Livestock Vision
Pakistan can build a livestock future that is:
- climate-smart
- ethically grounded
- economically inclusive
- ecologically responsible
- health-oriented
To achieve this, national policy must:
1. Prioritize native livestock systems, pastoralists, and indigenous breeds.
2. Build a controlled, humane, regulated high-input dairy sector under strict oversight.
3. Promote transparent labeling (A1 vs. A2 vs. camel milk).
4. Support cooperatives, value chains, and livelihood strengthening.
5. Position Pakistan as a global leader in camel-based food systems.
With thoughtful policy, scientific guidance, and community partnership, Pakistan can transform livestock from a climate vulnerability into a climate advantage—anchored by its indigenous breeds and the extraordinary resilience of pastoral communities who have cared for them for centuries.
References & Further Reading
- Raziq, A., et al. (2025). Camel Breeds of Balochistan: Documentation and Characterization. Drynet Project, Pakistan. Retrieved from https://www.comap.ca/kmland/kmland/content/VRCPR/Drynet/Publications/091220_potential_of_livestock_breeds_of_Baluchistan_final_s.html
- Konuspayeva, G., Faye, B., & Loiseau, G. (2014). The composition and nutritional value of camel milk. International Dairy Journal, 34(2), 20–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.idairyj.2013.10.001
- Faye, B., & Bonnet, P. (2012). Camel milk: Properties, potential, and market. Journal of Camelid Science, 5(1), 45–58.
- Rege, J. E., & Gibson, J. P. (2003). Animal genetic resources and economic development: The role of indigenous breeds. FAO Animal Production and Health Paper. Rome: FAO. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/3/y5106e/y5106e00.htm
- McGahey, D., et al. (2014). Pastoralism and biodiversity: Ecosystem management in drylands. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN.
- Thornton, P., et al. (2009). Impacts of climate change on livestock in developing countries. Global Change Biology, 15(12), 2761–2773. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2009.01995.x
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). (2021). The role of indigenous breeds in sustainable food systems. Rome: FAO. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/3/cb4476en/cb4476en.pdf
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). (2022). Climate change 2022: Impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability. Geneva: IPCC. Retrieved from https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/
- International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). (2020). Genetic resources of livestock and climate resilience. Nairobi: ILRI. Retrieved from https://www.ilri.org/research/topics/genetic-resources-livestock
