The livestock sector is one of the foundations of Bangladesh's economy, rural livelihoods and food security. By producing milk, eggs, meat and poultry products, it supplies a large share of the animal protein the country needs and serves as a reliable source of income for poor rural families. According to various media reports, the livestock sector contributed about 1.9 per cent of national GDP in fiscal 2023-24, and in the same period livestock accounted for about 16-16.5 per cent of the agriculture sector.

The sector creates direct and indirect jobs, income and self-reliance for many rural families, which is closely tied to the country's social and economic stability. However important it is to expand food production, it is equally urgent to consider its environmental impact and ensure future sustainability. Risks such as climate change, excess carbon and greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution, poor waste management and antibiotic use are directly linked to livestock farming. If these challenges are not tackled, food security could be at risk and the environment seriously damaged.

Against the backdrop of this global agricultural transition, Bangladesh faces a new challenge. The key question now is how to bring livestock farming into a modern, environmentally friendly and responsible framework. Beyond raising output, it requires responsibility, good governance, farmer awareness and sustainable planning, so that food stays safe and the environment protected for future generations.

As Bangladesh's population grows, demand for food and protein is rising fast. In 2010 daily protein intake per person was about 62 grams; now it is more than 75 grams, a large part of it from animal sources. As a result, the number of cattle, poultry and goat farms is growing rapidly. This growth is economically beneficial but brings significant environmental pressures. The digestion of livestock, especially cattle and goats, produces methane (CH4), which can cause about 28 times more warming than CO2. When feed is broken down in the rumen, thousands of bacteria produce methane, which is released into the atmosphere and quickly adds to global warming. According to an analysis by IFPRI, about 40 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions from Bangladesh's agriculture sector comes from livestock.

Waste management on private and commercial farms is also often inadequate. Dung and waste from most farms are dumped straight into canals, beels or rivers, polluting the water and raising biological oxygen demand, which harms fish and aquatic biodiversity. Pressure to produce animal products quickly and cheaply is driving a sharp rise in antibiotic use on farms, increasing antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which is becoming a risk to human and public health in the future.

In the 21st century, responsible livestock farming means striking a balance between food production, environmental protection, animal health, human health and economic stability. In densely populated countries like Bangladesh, demand for protein keeps rising, and ensuring quality animal protein is still a big challenge. If farm-based development goes hand in hand with declining animal health, it directly affects food security. At the same time, excessive waste discharge, antibiotic misuse and unregulated livestock farming harm the environment.

In the long run, this threatens soil fertility, water and air quality and farm output. Environmentally friendly livestock farming therefore protects not just people but the whole ecosystem. Another important risk is management and disease prevention: outbreaks among animals, such as bird flu or Nipah virus, can affect human health too. Integrated biosecurity, regular disease control and proper care are therefore essential.

The foundation of responsible livestock farming is proper management, suitable investment and farmer awareness. First, smart management is vital, including balanced feed, home-made silage and proper use of local feed sources. Keeping the farm clean, monitoring animals regularly and staying alert to detect disease are essential parts of farm management, as is waste management in line with herd size, to reduce environmental pressure and health risks.

Second, there is an opportunity to turn waste into a resource. Bangladesh's cattle, buffalo and goats produce about 1.6 crore tonnes of waste a day, which with proper use could create a promising sector for biogas, organic fertiliser and electricity generation. This not only helps protect the environment but also brings farmers income and savings. Third, public and private investment matters. The government has already passed the National Livestock Development Policy 2023, which emphasises organic fertiliser production, feed quality control, farm registration and use of technology. Implementing it properly will help make the farm sector more modern and environmentally friendly.

Finally, no policy is fully effective without farmer awareness. Following drug doses, vaccination schedules and treatment correctly, taking advice from livestock officers, and getting training in areas such as biosecurity, feed management and farm design are essential to make farms responsible and sustainable. Responsible livestock farming is possible only by combining sound management, investment and awareness.

For Bangladesh, the most effective technologies and strategies for the livestock sector could be environmentally friendly farm design, digital animal health surveillance, artificial insemination and improved breeds, biogas plants, antibiotic-responsible systems and pasture development. Environmentally friendly farm design allows effective waste storage, rainwater harvesting and natural ventilation, and rooftop solar panels can make a farm's energy use more sustainable. Digital animal health surveillance, such as digital health cards, online disease reporting and livestock traceability or tagging, helps detect and control the spread of disease quickly.

Artificial insemination and improved breeds bring farmers many benefits: improved cattle or goats produce more on less feed, which cuts waste and costs. Biogas plants are also an important part of sustainable farm management. According to the agriculture department, more than 64,000 biogas plants were installed in Bangladesh between 2008 and 2024; as small plants they can supply gas for household cooking and reduce fuel dependence. Care in antibiotic management is vital: unless lab tests are used to diagnose disease, probiotics and vaccines are used as alternatives to antibiotics, and an AMR registry is created, human health could face a serious crisis in future. And with pasture on only 4 per cent of the country's land, pasture development is essential. Block pastures, community grazing zones and silage production can ease the fodder crisis and make farms more stable.

To ensure responsible livestock farming, Bangladesh must strengthen several strategic areas of its policy framework and future planning. The most important is policy coordination, achieved through joint planning between the Department of Livestock Services, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Department of Environment, research institutions and local administration. Research and innovation are also essential, for example in improving cattle feed efficiency, methane-reduction technology, diagnostic technology and the development of native breeds. Ensuring food safety and quality standards is essential too, so that safe animal products free of hormones, antibiotics or chemicals can be produced, which will shape the market of the future.

Supporting small farmers is equally important. About 80 per cent of Bangladesh's farmers are smallholders, each usually rearing one to five cattle or goats. They need easy credit, affordable vaccines, insurance and training in biosecurity, feed management, farm design and disease control that they can apply in practice.

The livestock sector is among the most dynamic in the country's food production, rural livelihoods and economic development, but its growth cannot last without environmentally friendly practices. Turning farm waste into a resource, building farm-based toilets and slurry systems to control water pollution, digitising animal health services in every upazila and strictly controlling antibiotic use are therefore urgent. Environmentally friendly farm design should also be made mandatory, and import-dependent feed should be reduced by increasing production of local feed and silage. In Bangladesh this sector is not only a source of protein but also an important basis of employment in the rural economy. Ensuring responsible livestock farming while maintaining ecological balance is an essential condition for a sustainable future.

The writer is an agriculturist, researcher and columnist.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.