CSU Wins $15 Million Grant

Colorado State University (CSU) researchers won a $15 million grant to oversee and conduct global research on how climate change is affecting livestock and farmers. The grant was awarded to CSU's Animal Population Health Institute and the Institute for Livestock and the Environment by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The research will focus on ways to help developing countries manage livestock in changing climate conditions. In these developing countries, a large proportion of the population depends upon livestock for a significant part of their income. Ultimately, the goal is not just to study these processes but to help livestock producers adapt to climate change and improve their livelihoods, researchers at CSU said in a statement announcing the grant.

"The risks to livestock and developing livestock industries in these countries as a result of climate change encompass a broad range of issues and challenges - more than may meet the eye to the general observer," said Mo Salman, principal investigator for this grant and a professor in the CSU College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. "As just one example, we know that climate change may drive changes in precipitation and temperature in many regions that are already arid or semi-arid. That leads to reduced crop yields and pasture productivity for livestock, which makes it difficult for farmers and herders to support their livelihood."

Reprinted in part from The Coloradoan

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