Climate Change Adaptation And Mitigation In Mixed Livestock Systems In East Africa
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
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Abstract: This publication presents key findings from the Programme for Climate-Smart Livestock Systems (PCSL), implemented by GIZ, ILRI, and the World Bank, across Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda. It highlights the dual role of smallholder mixed livestock systems as both contributors to and victims of climate change, focusing on methane and nitrous oxide emissions. Using farm data, the study identifies significant variation in emission intensity among farms, revealing opportunities for mitigation through improved feeding, health, breeding, and manure management. It features “adaptation pioneers”—innovative farmers who test and refine climate-resilient livestock practices on their own, such as surface silage, rainwater harvesting, feed innovation, and biogas use. The report emphasizes context-specific interventions that simultaneously enhance productivity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It offers insight into farmer-led innovation dissemination and its potential to inform national inventories and low-emission development strategies.