Abstract:
Milk and dairy products are among the most important nutrient-dense foods in the human diet, providing high-quality proteins, essential amino acids, milk fat, fatty acids, lactose, calcium, phosphorus, vitamins, and bioactive compounds. They contribute significantly to growth, bone development, muscle function, micronutrient adequacy, and overall nutritional security. In India, milk and traditional dairy products—such as curd, buttermilk, paneer, and ghee—hold a vital place in human nutrition, culture, and traditional food systems.
Climate change is emerging as one of the greatest threats to sustainable dairy production and global nutritional security. Rising ambient temperatures, increasing humidity, heat waves, altered rainfall patterns, and water scarcity directly and indirectly affect dairy animals and human nutrition. Heat and cold stress, indicated by the Temperature-Humidity Index (THI), disturb physiological homeostasis, alter endocrine and metabolic functions, reduce feed intake, and limit nutrient supply to mammary cells. These environmental stressors lead to decreased milk yield and significant changes in milk composition, affecting proteins (casein and whey), beneficial fatty acids (such as CLA and omega-3), lactose, vitamins, and bioactive compounds. Such climate-induced deterioration in milk quality has important implications for public health, particularly for nutritionally vulnerable populations like children, pregnant women, and the elderly.
India possesses a rich heritage of traditional dairy products and an ancient knowledge system in Ayurveda. Ayurveda emphasizes the nutritional and therapeutic importance of milk (Ksheera), ghee (Ghrita), curd (Dadhi), and buttermilk (Takra) for promoting strength (Bala), vitality (Ojas), digestion, immunity, and longevity when consumed according to individual constitution (Prakriti), digestive capacity (Agni), and seasonal (Ritu) adaptation.
While climate change presents severe challenges to animal production and human nutrition, it also offers opportunities for innovation. Integrating climate-smart dairy farming with environmental synchronization, precision technologies, and indigenous genetic resources can build a climate-resilient dairy ecosystem. An integrated “Climate–Animal–Milk and Dairy Products–Human Nutrition” approach can support climate-adaptation policies that protect dairy farmers (Pashu Samvardhak), ensure the nutritional quality of dairy products, and strengthen food systems in India and globally.
Keywords: Climate Change, Dairy Animals, Human Nutrition, Heat Stress, Cold Stress, Temperature-Humidity Index (THI), Milk Composition, Dairy Products, Ayurveda, Climate-Resilient Dairy Farming