Cows drink water in a drying river in Isiolo County, Kenya. Photo ILRI/Geoffrey Njenga
Africa Climate Week | Livestock: From villain to hero for climate resilience in Africa
AICCRA participated in this Africa Climate Week session that highlighted how sustainable livestock can help defeat the climate crisis
Background
The livestock sector is often cited as the most intensive emitter of greenhouse gasses within agriculture production systems, leading to an overemphasis in climate change discussions on the need to mitigate GHGs from livestock while ignoring the numerous benefits that sustainable livestock systems bring to the environment and rural livelihoods. For almost a billion families in Africa, livestock are a crucial source of food, income, and cash reserves while also providing important environmental services.
This event showcased context-specific case studies of how Africa’s sustainable development in livestock sector can contribute to climate resilience. Further, it highlighted how participatory approaches, capacity building and policy support can contribute to scaling sustainable and climate-resilient livestock.
The event aimed to share the latest evidence using context-specific case studies on how supporting sustainable livestock development in Africa contributes to climate resilience.
Speakers
Moderator
Cynthia Mugo, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
Panelists
- Laura Cramer, AICCRA Innovation Theme Lead
- George Wamukoya, African Group of Negotiators Expert Support (AGNES)
- Bernard Kimoro, Kenya Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives
About Africa Climate Week
Africa Climate Week (ACW 2022) ran from 29 August to 2 September in Gabon. Africa Climate Week 2022 engaged and empowered stakeholders to drive climate action across countries, communities and economies.
In 2021, regional collaboration emerged as a driver of global progress. The Glasgow Climate Pact agreed at COP26 recognizes Regional Climate Weeks as a platform for governments and stakeholders to strengthen credible and durable response to climate change. Working together opens opportunity to advance climate action, address social inequalities and invest in development that is good for humanity and nature. ACW 2022 was a collaboration platform to explore:
- Resilience against climate risks
- The transition to a low-emission economy
- Partnerships to solve pressing challenges
ACW 2022 was hosted by the Government of Gabon. The event was organized by UN Climate Change in collaboration with global partners UN Development Programme, UN Environment Programme and the World Bank Group. Partners in the region included the Africa Union, the Africa Development Bank (AfDB), the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and UN Gabon.
For more information, visit the host government ACW 2022 website.