Bioclimatic Zoning for Sheep Farming through Geostatistical Modeling in the State of Pernambuco, Brazil

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Heat stress (HS) is a complex phenomenon that triggers multiple animal response mechanisms that negatively impact livestock welfare and production. Thermal comfort is therefore an important subject for limiting performance loss and other adverse effects of heat stress on animal physiology in different production systems; furthermore, it is becoming increasingly important in light of recent climate change scenarios. The purpose of this study was to point out different areas of Pernambuco state that are likely to be best suited to different sheep breeds. The study identified two dairy breeds (East Friesian and Lacaune) that have good potential to be farmed in specific areas of Pernambuco state. The thermal comfort indices presented in Pernambuco were favorable for the main meat-producing breeds. ABSTRACT: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has pointed out the high vulnerability of developing countries to climate change, which is expected to impact food and income security. Sheep farming is one of the main animal productions among the families located in the most vulnerable regions of the semiarid region of Pernambuco state, a Brazilian territory known for its high temperatures, low relative humidity, and high net solar radiation. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify different regions of Pernambuco that may be more suitable for different breeds of sheep, based on non-parametric statistics and kriging maps of the temperature and humidity index (THI). THI values were determined based on mean annual temperature and wind speed extracted from the TerraClimate remote sensing database. Pernambuco state presented THI values ranging from 66 to 79, with the hair breeds having a high potential for exploitation in almost all territories, including the main meat-producing breeds. The East Friesian breed, a high milk producer, would be well suited to the Agreste mesoregion, a territory that, like the Pajeú and Moxotó microregions, also proved favorable for the introduction of three wool breeds (Suffolk, Poll Dorset, and Texel) known as major meat producers. The kriging maps of the THI values successfully allowed the identification of strategic development regions of Pernambuco state with high potential for sheep breeding.