Example livestock data for drought management. Source MapAction (https://maps.mapaction.org/dataset/2021-ken-002-ma0013-v1)

Data and information drive early warning systems that alert policy makers and communities to emerging food and climate shocks.  

For communities in arid and dry areas of East Africa, livestock are a critical asset, providing food and livelihoods as well as being safety nets in emergencies.

However, there are significant gaps in the data on livestock that is collated and used to guide early action against food insecurity.

At the recent Livestock Data for Decisions (LD4D) community meeting, the Jameel Observatory convened a virtual session to examine ways to enhance the contributions of livestock data to counter food and climate shocks in the drylands of East Africa.

After framing the issues – why livestock matter in drylands – Guyo Roba and Rupsha Banerjee explained some of the challenges and gaps around the livestock data that is commonly used to guide early action against food and climate shocks. Participants discussed ways to tackle these gaps and explored potential interventions, highlighting some critical questions and issues.

Read the full post by Peter Ballantyne, Chantelle Pattemore, and Bob Koigi

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