By Robyn Joubert
A one-stop global hub aims to help livestock farmers in developing nations tackle a growing problem: producing more animal products with less greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
The Livestock and Climate Solutions Hub, unveiled at the COP29 climate talks, brings together cutting-edge and existing approaches to reduce emissions and equip farmers to adapt climate-smart innovations.
Housed at CGIAR’s International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the hub aims to deliver a “triple win”: adapting livestock systems to withstand climate change, reducing GHG emissions (especially methane and nitrous oxide), and strengthening the resilience and sustainability of animal agriculture.
While livestock production is a significant source of GHG emissions, demand for meat, milk and eggs in low- and middle-income countries is expected to increase by over 300% by 2050. Unless productivity improvements are achieved, two-thirds of livestock emissions will come from these countries by 2050.
The initiative will bring together innovative solutions like methane-reducing forages, advanced animal nutrition, heat-tolerant livestock breeds, and improved livestock management practices.
A number of ILRI-led initiatives are contributing to these solutions, such as the Enviro-Cow project, which gathers farm-level data to identify high-performing and low-emitting dairy cows for breeding.
The hub will also guide countries in meeting their climate goals under the Paris Agreement.
“We’re excited about the potential to develop integrated solutions through the hub that brings a wide range of partners together to develop interventions that achieve the triple win,” said Prof Anthony Whitbread, Livestock, Climate and Environment programme lead at ILRI.
