Better, not fewer, livestock is the key to a greener future in Africa
Are we overlooking livestock’s transformative potential in Africa’s green development? This weekend, why not take the time to reflect and challenge prevailing narratives that frame livestock as a problem and consider how embracing sustainable livestock practices aligns with Africa’s agricultural development.
Dr. Huyam Salih, Director of AU-IBAR, argues in her thought-provoking piece that “better, not fewer” livestock is the key to addressing Africa’s sustainability challenges while advancing food security, livelihoods, and climate resilience. Livestock, central to the lives of 250 million African pastoralists, can drive sustainable development through innovations in nutrition, grazing, and emissions reduction.
The piece critiques one-size-fits-all approaches that call for herd reduction, emphasizing Africa’s unique context, limited historical emissions responsibility, and the critical role of livestock in tackling malnutrition, which costs the continent 16% of annual GDP. Dr. Salih highlights how improved livestock management can reduce methane emissions, restore degraded land, and reverse biodiversity loss — solutions already supported by frameworks like the AU’s Green Recovery Action Plan.
However, achieving these outcomes requires:
1. Enhanced climate finance: Despite bearing the brunt of climate change, Africa receives only 3% of global climate funds.
2. National-level integration: Livestock must be embedded into key policies like Nationally Determined Contributions and Climate-Smart Agriculture Plans.
These steps can reposition livestock as a catalyst for sustainable growth, aligning with the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) vision of transformative, climate-resilient agriculture.
The future of livestock in Africa is a choice rooted in equity, inclusion, and shared responsibility. Will you be part of the conversation to reimagine it?
Photo: Cattle in Iganga, Uganda by Zach Wear (@zachwear)