About 600, or 20 percent of all livestock breeds, are currently at risk of extinction. Pig breeds in China, dairy breeds in India, and buffaloes are especially threatened. Concentrate feeds . The growing demand for concentrate feeds for pigs and poultry, and to a lesser extent for dairy and beef production, leads to area expansion and intensification with subsequent negative effects on forest habitats and biodiversity. This demand promotes a continuous transfer of nutrients from feed-producing areas to areas of high livestock concentration, particularly when associated with industrial production.
Many technologies are available, however, that reduce the environmental impacts of cropping.
Greenhouse gases . There are many opportunities to harmonize livestock production with sustainability through changes in incentives, regulations, and institutions. It is critical in this discussion, however, to acknowledge that the first priority for many farmers is household food security and family welfare, with future sustainability traded off against immediate food needs. Enhancing natural resources by such technologies as deferred grazing, overseeding, planting adapted fodder to regenerate vegetation, or using multiple species for grazing. Introduction of such technologies often needs to be combined with institutional innovations such as secure access to land or farmer empowerment.