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Project Topic
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The Mediterranean basin has been facing the challenge of increasing temperatures and drought due to climate change for several years. This situation threatens the availability of feed resources, the sustainability of grazing livestock and the livelihood of rural communities, particularly those living in marginal rural areas. Given the economic importance of livestock in the Mediterranean, if these effects persist as predicted by the IPCC scenarios (https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/), they will disrupt food security in this area and jeopardize small-scale traditional livestock systems that do not have the basic infrastructure necessary for efficient livestock management, nor the early warning systems to address the problem well in advance. According to recent studies, the goat has been shown to provide the solution to face these environmental challenges in the Mediterranean. Is evident that the goat, is ideal due to its resilience and high tolerance to heat and drought, its ability to survive on poor pastures and its high resistance to diseases, thus providing a source of animal proteins (meat and milk) to reduce human malnutrition in marginal areas where other livestock systems are not feasible, and to face climate changes and support agro-pastoral society. In addition, there are advantages associated with consuming goat meat and milk (low-fat content, healthy fatty acids profile, better tolerance and digestibility), so it could be part of the solution to reduce metabolic diseases. Based on these findings, the objectives of the MEDGOAT project are to support viable agro-pastoral agriculture and rational use of agro-pastoral lands by a) strengthening the knowledge of local goat breeds for their climate resilience and promoting the use of these specific breeds in the Mediterranean region b) assessing the potential of local goat breeds, in a perspective of potentiating biodiversity, exploiting their resistance to the effects of climate change, and improving animal management systems (especially feeding practices) to face climate challenges and reduce the water footprint of goat farming, in a circular bioeconomy approach. c) evaluating the impact of the contribution of non-conventional feed resources (e.g., cactus, olive and date co-products), non-protein nitrogen sources (e.g., urea and nitrate) and local plants that can be valorized on both the environmental impact of farming systems and the productivity of the goat and its health. The trials will also make it possible to characterize the quality of milk and meat and develop innovations for their storage. MEDGOAT implements an interconnected multidisciplinary approach that brings together academic and non-academic actors, including breeders and industrialists (13 partners), from six countries (France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia and Morocco) and that covers several disciplines:breeding, nutrition, animal and human health, animal welfare, sociology and economics. With the technical support of one of the world's leading goat experts (ICAR-National Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology in Bangalore, India), this project will involve a technological and organizational model of multi-stakeholder collaboration for sustainable goat production to ensure food security and sustainability in the Mediterranean regions. MEDGOAT responds to FAO recommendations by aiming to ensure the livelihood security of farmers in rural areas, especially women, the primary holders of small ruminants in the Mediterranean regions.
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