Transboundary animal diseases (TADs) pose a serious threat to the sustainability and economic viability of the existing animal agriculture ecosystem in south Asia. The rapid spread of African swine fever and lumpy skin diseases in south Asia must be considered a wake-up call to prevent the entry, spread, and establishment of new exotic TADs, as south Asia has the highest density of livestock populations, and it will have a huge socioeconomic impact. Regional cooperation for the prevention and control of TADs is necessary, but rational decisions should be made to initiate even sub-regional cooperation in the present geopolitical situation. Cross-border collaboration for surveillance, early warnings, and animal movement control should be encouraged on a bilateral or multilateral basis as many countries share a porous border. Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), peste des petits ruminants (PPR), and avian influenza (AI) have been identified as regional priority TADs, and many regional and country initiatives have been undertaken in the last two decades that need to be translated into action. The incursion of exotic TADs into south Asia has compelled us to rethink overall policies and strategies for prevention and control of TADs. This paper took into consideration six emerging and endemic TADs of viral origin to suggest a future course of action.

India is an agriculturally based nation, and a significant portion of its livestock sector is controlled by women. Women have a lot of options to increase their income by working in the livestock sector. Livestock provides meat, milk, eggs, and other food products, which are generally considered key assets for rural livelihood, that are dietary staples for population. For the women's livelihood and to help ensure the food security of the household, livestock is a crucial non-land productive asset. The tiny, marginal, and landless farmers in rural areas are the owners of more than 70% of the livestock. Compared to male workers, self-employed women are more likely to work in livestock production. Women add value and market the majority of animal farming activities, including fodder collection, feeding, watering, health care, animal management, milking, and household-level processing. Although rural women have a significant role in livestock management activities, however, their participation is low in certain decision-making activities. The present review elaborates in detail on the contribution of women in livestock management activities, different constraints faced by them in the livestock sector, and different areas where successful interventions can be undertaken to address the challenges faced by women in the livestock sector.

Despite the substantial contribution donkeys make to the livelihood of the world’s poorest populations, the existence of donkeys has received little notice worldwide. This article reviews the value of donkeys in a variety of sectors, including agriculture, construction industry, and mining, as well as their role in empowering women and achieving sustainable development goals. However, donkeys and mules are not given enough credit or attention in terms of developing strategies regarding their role in reducing poverty. There is a dearth of information and statistics on their impact across industries, the factors contributing to the donkey population dropping, the socioeconomic status of the dependent communities, and related animal and human welfare issues.

Food production systems are intensified because of various acts taken by people on an individual, community, or organisational level. The need for intensification in the form of greater output is most pressing when the food supply needs to be increased, such as during periods of high population growth. When social or environmental problems are involved, intensification that uses resources more effectively may be more important. In either case, changes brought about by intensification should be cognitively understood as opposed to extensive modifications, which involve either a rise or fall in the number of inputs utilised. The necessity of sustainable intensification of food production systems is emphasised in this assessment, along with its benefits and drawbacks.

Sheep and goats, known as small ruminants, are an important component group of livestock, representing 58% of the global domestic ruminant population. Both sheep and goats are adapted well under varied climatic conditions including harsh climates. The large-scale presence of these animals in the arid regions indicates the adaptability of these animals to the hotter climatic conditions. the impact of climate change and consequential heat stress conditions, however, has been found to affect the growth and production, milk yield, feed intake, reproductive performance, and other biological functions of these animals. Through the present paper, an effort has been made to review the impact of the elevated environmental temperatures on the production performance of sheep and goats and provide certain alleviation strategies to overcome the climatic extremes.