Investing in low emissions development strategies in the dairy sector: Viable options for Kenya and Ethiopia

Livestock production plays a critical role in sustaining livelihoods and ensuring food and nutrition security for millions of families across Africa. The centrality of livestock in achieving sustainable development for cannot be overstated. It is also true that livestock production is the largest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture. In terms of global averages, the emission of methane as a result of enteric fermentation in ruminants (digestive processes that decompose and ferment food) produces about 40% of the total emissions from agriculture.

In Africa, although total GHG emissions from livestock are still lower than in industrialized nations, the emissions intensities per unit of animal product produced are very high which is a cause for concern seeing that the sector is expected to continue to grow. Concerns over the environmental impact of livestock production through GHG emissions have intensified stakeholders’ efforts to design interventions that ensure that the sector makes…