ASHENEWS reports that livestock keeping in Africa is being recognized as a credible climate solution, as it is a means to provide valuable agricultural resilience to climate extremes.
According to experts ahead of the COP28 climate conference in an open letter, in sub-Saharan Africa, millions of people rely on livestock such as camels, cows, and donkeys, along with goats, sheep, and chickens, to meet their food, livelihood, and income needs, especially in regions where crops cannot grow.
The open letter, which was signed by more than 50 leaders and experts, calls for more climate finance to help African livestock systems adapt to climate change.
According to the letter, livestock play a crucial role in supporting communities, particularly pastoralists, who depend on them to survive in areas where crop farming is not feasible.
The letter stated that half of the meat and milk produced contribute largely to children’s physical and cognitive development.
The letter further posited that livestock offer numerous climate-related benefits, as the ability to move animals in search of feed, water, and shade helps to mitigate risks associated with crop farming and provides a safety net for failed harvests.
Also pointed out is that managed grazing and the use of livestock manure can also contribute to the restoration of degraded land and support biodiversity.
The open letter also stated that livestock bolsters the climate resilience of communities, making them less vulnerable to shocks and enabling them to recover more easily in the aftermath of disasters.
“Despite the important role livestock play in Africa’s climate adaptation, an increasing number of climate-related challenges are making it difficult for livestock keepers to adapt in a timely manner.
“The ongoing and unprecedented drought in the Horn of Africa has resulted in the death of over 13 million livestock.
“Similarly, flooding in Niger has taken the lives of thousands of animals, while changing conditions have impacted the spread of livestock disease. According to reports from the United Nations, it can take farmers up to five years to recover from these losses, if they can recover at all,” the letter reads.
In light of these challenges, experts are urging parties at COP28 to advocate for more climate finance to support the adaptation of sustainable livestock systems in Africa.
The experts also called on high-income countries to fulfill their commitment to provide $100 billion per year in climate finance for developing countries.
Also, African nations are encouraged to prioritize the adaptation of livestock systems as part of their climate strategies, as recent data shows that currently, Africa receives only 11 percent of its total climate finance needs, which amounts to a mere $30 billion, and less than 1 percent of climate finance is allocated to the livestock sector.
ASHENEWS reports that investing in the resilience of small-scale livestock production not only helps reduce emissions but also improves productivity, animal welfare, food security, and incomes.
Meanwhile, simple, improved practices on smallholder farms and the prevention of livestock losses can reduce greenhouse emissions by up to 30 percent.
Recognizing the unique opportunity that climate adaptation within Africa’s livestock sector presents, experts argue that prioritizing investment in livestock is not only an economic matter but also a form of climate justice.
“With Africa projected to sustainably feed a quarter of the world’s population by 2050, it is imperative to prioritize the sustainable development of the livestock sector.
“For the 800 million herders and smallholder farmers in Africa, a future without livestock would mean a future without life.”
The signatories of the open letter include scientists, farmers, and experts from the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) based in Nairobi, CIRAD, the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development, and the Consortium for African Youth in Agriculture and Climate Change (CAYACC).
Others include Heifer International, the IGAD Centre for Pastoral Areas and Livestock Development (ICPALD), the West Africa Platform for Traditional Pastoralists’ Leaders (PRAO) and the Vétérinaires Sans Frontières International
