Why the need to protect livestock from climate change hazards

 

BY PAUL TENTENA

The Government of Kenya, together with the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), recently launched the Kenya National Inception Meeting under the project Accelerating Food Systems Transformation for Resilience to Climate Change in Africa.

The meeting marked the operational start in Kenya of a three-year regional initiative that will also be implemented in Uganda and Somalia from 2026 to 2028. The project seeks to strengthen the resilience of livestock-based food systems to climate change and variability through four interconnected areas of work: livestock value chains, climate/index-based livestock insurance, land tenure security, and climate-land information systems for evidence-based decision-making.

“Africa’s persistent hunger, despite its land, livestock, labour and market endowments, is fundamentally a problem of converting existing assets into value, jobs, trade and resilience, rather than a problem of scarce resources,” said Dr. Medhat Elhelepi coordinator of the project, noting the need for practical, country-owned solutions that can unlock the full value of the livestock sector.

He emphasized the urgency of transforming Africa’s food systems in response to rising food insecurity, climate shocks and underutilized productive assets.

Dr. Sarah Ashanut Ossiya of AU-IBAR highlighted the importance of placing livestock at the centre of Africa’s agri-food systems transformation agenda, stressing that stronger productivity, resilience and competitiveness are essential for food security, jobs and inclusive growth.

“This integrated approach, linking value chain analysis, insurance, land tenure and data systems, offers a more complete response to the constraints facing Africa’s livestock sector than addressing each issue separately,” said Dr. Sarah Ashanut Ossiya.

Dr. Ahmed Amdihum of IGAD underlined the immediate relevance of the initiative in the Horn of Africa, where climate variability continues to affect pastoral systems, cross-border livestock movement and food security. The organization called for stronger regional early warning systems, interoperable climate data and financing mechanisms that respond to the realities of pastoral economies.

“Early warning information must be linked to early action, so that climate information systems are connected to decisions that protect productive assets before losses become irreversible,” said Dr. Ahmed Amdihum.

The National Land Commission of Kenya emphasized that secure land tenure remains fundamental to sustainable livestock production, climate adaptation and investment, particularly in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands.

“Secure land tenure is the bedrock of rangeland resilience, livestock productivity and climate adaptation. Without it, investments in insurance, restoration and sustainable grazing cannot be sustained,” said Ms. Kabale Kache, CEO for the Land Commission.

Dr. Gary Connile, UN Resident Coordinator in Kenya, also stressed that land governance is central to the success of climate resilience efforts in pastoral areas.

“Land tenure security is the precondition for the other three strands. Insurance, credit and investment cannot function where land ownership is uncertain,” he said.

During the technical session, participants reviewed the economic significance of Kenya’s livestock sector, the effects of repeated droughts and climate shocks, and the challenges posed by low insurance uptake, weak market systems and insecure land tenure. The Kenya Livestock Value Chain Assessment inception report highlighted the sector’s contribution to the economy and identified beef and camel milk as initial priority value chains for further analysis.

Participants also discussed the need to strengthen climate/index-based livestock insurance by improving product design, affordability, renewal rates and payout timeliness, while maintaining support for catastrophic risk.

On land tenure, the meeting noted that existing legal and policy frameworks provide an important foundation, but that implementation gaps continue to limit resilience and investment in pastoral areas.