Israeli Desert Goat Breeding Offers Solutions for Europe's Extreme Heat Agriculture

In recent years, Europe has faced increasingly frequent extreme heat waves affecting countries like France, Spain, and Italy, prompting urgent searches for agricultural adaptations to sustain food production under harsher climate conditions. At the Afaim farm in Idan, located in Israel's hot Arava region, researchers are developing goat breeds capable of producing milk even in extreme heat. This project is led by Eitan Bar-Ness, founder of CANAAN, a company specializing in genetic adaptation of livestock for changing climates, in collaboration with the Volcani Institute.

The farm raises two high-milk-yield European goat breeds, the French Alpine and the Spanish Murciana-Granadina. When exposed to the Arava's harsh environment, some goats struggle or perish, while others thrive and maintain impressive milk production. Detailed data is collected twice daily over years, tracking milk yield and family lineage to identify inheritable traits that confer heat resilience. This selective breeding accelerates natural evolution to develop heat-adapted animals more efficiently.

Bar-Ness highlights that CANAAN's genetic database includes over 200 samples of Israeli goats and sheep, animals naturally evolved over centuries in hot, dry, and water-scarce conditions. This genetic resource is attracting growing interest worldwide as climate challenges intensify. He notes that while European countries are only beginning to face such conditions, these animals are already adapted, offering vital tools for future global food security.

Past attempts to export European dairy livestock to Africa failed due to lack of adaptation, underscoring the need for multi-generational acclimation. Bar-Ness stresses that adapting livestock to rising temperatures is essential, not optional, to maintain food production for a growing population. He receives inquiries from countries currently battling heat stress in animals, reflecting a global recognition of the urgent need to prepare for climate change impacts on agriculture. Developing heat-tolerant livestock could become a strategic asset for nations reliant on dairy and meat production in the coming decades.