Last week, meeting at an AU-IBAR event in Naivasha, Kenya, researchers from the International Livestock Research Institute and the University of Edinburgh outlined plans to use spatial modelling and community surveys to monitor livestock feed ‘balances’ and produce assessments to guide decisions of governments and communities.
In Africa, as populations increase there is a growing demand for animal-based foods. To meet this demand through livestock farming, it is critical that decision makers at local, sub-national and national levels understand the factors driving the availability of sufficient year-round livestock feed and the effects of, for example, drought.
Drawing on recent research, the proposal aims to harmonize the livestock feed inventory and feed balance assessment strategy from African countries.
The background to the proposal was introduced by John Mutua, Geospatial expert and PhD candidate at the University of Edinburgh and a PhD fellow at the Jameel Observatory for Food Security Early Action.
He explained the methodology to estimate feed availability using remotely sensed products and detailed feed composition data and summarized the main findings – that feed scarcity hotspots were found in the Ethiopian highlands and the Sahelian agro-ecological zone of Burkina Faso.
Isabelle Baltenweck, Program Leader at ILRI said the proposed methodology combining use of satellite data with community surveys offers a common methodology that could generate comparable feed balances across countries and facilitate cross-country collaboration.
Her sentiments were echoed by John Mutua: “Satellite images provide the unique ability to study large geographical areas, offering consistent data that enhances the replicability and reproducibility of scientific research across diverse landscapes,” Mutua said.
ILRI and University of Edinburgh feed scientist Alan Duncan said that harmonized feed assessment approaches across AU-IBAR countries would help in policy formulation and feed development planning.
Experts from across Africa discussed this and other proposals at the recent National Feed Inventory Landscaping and Capacity Building Workshop organized by the Resilient African Feed and Fodder Systems Project (RAFFs) at the African Union’s Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR). The workshop is part of a larger initiative to address feed inventory challenges, explore best practices, and build capacity among stakeholders involved in feed and fodder systems.
Experts at the workshop pointed out that the demand for livestock feed is expected to rise as the global population grows. Hence, assessing feed availability at local, regional, and national levels is crucial for effective decision-making.
More information
Mutua, J.Y. and Fraval, S. 2024. Assessing national livestock feed balances. Presented at the National Feed Inventory Landscaping and Capacity Building Workshop, Naivasha, Kenya, 16-20 September 2024. Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh. https://hdl.handle.net/1842/42214
University of Edinburgh news item: ‘Alleviating livestock feed shortage in sub-Saharan Africa‘
Fraval, S., Mutua, J.Y., Amole, T., Tolera, A., Feyisa, T., Thornton, P.K., Notenbaert, A.M.O., Adesogan, A., Balehegn, M., Ayantunde, A.A., Zampaligre, N. and Duncan, A.J. 2024. Feed balances for ruminant livestock: Gridded estimates for data constrained regions. Animal 18(7): 101199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2024.101199
Digital Earth Africa news item: ‘Leveraging Digital Earth Africa’s products to understand African livestock sustainability‘
Mutua, J., Watmough, G., Notenbaert, A.M.O., Fraval, S. and Duncan, A.J. 2024. Quantifying livestock diet compositions in Kenyan smallholder farms. Poster presented at the University of Edinburgh Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems Symposium, 15 March 2024. Edinburgh, Scotland: University of Edinburgh. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140549
Mutua, J., Duncan, Alan J., Fraval, S., Robinson, T., Notenbaert, A., Watmough, G. 2023. Exploring the role of seasonal variation in livestock feed composition on diet quality and methane emissions in Kenyan livestock. Presented at the the 8th All Africa Conference on Animal Agriculture, Gaborone, Botswana, 26-29 September 2023. UK: University of Edinburgh. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/132060
Kenya newpaper coverage of the Naivasha proposal: