Enhancing adaptation and mitigation actions for sustainable livestock transformation in eight countries

Eight countries - Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe – will elevate climate ambitions by incorporating more livestock-related commitments and targets into their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) revisions in 2025. This plan is part of the FAO’s Flexible Voluntary Contributions (FVC) subprogramme "Scaling-up climate actions to enhance NDCs, climate, and livestock". 


Technical support and collaboration
The subprogramme provided technical support to integrate climate change into national policies, strategies, and action plans within the livestock sector. It fostered collaboration among national institutions, including ministries of agriculture, livestock, and the environment, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and producer organizations to address livestock and climate change. Over 470 participants contributed to national stakeholder consultations, and more than 160 professionals from Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Rwanda and Senegal were trained on greenhouse gas inventory (GHG) and reporting, methane reduction strategies, climate finance mobilization and policy analysis to enhance nationally determined contributions. 


Highlights from countries
The subprogramme aligned with ongoing projects and initiatives, including the World Bank-funded Livestock Dairy Development Project in Bangladesh and FAO projects funded by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) to reduce enteric methane in Kenya. It supported countries in integrating mitigation interventions into their national action plans and mobilized additional climate finance for the livestock sector in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal, the United Republic of Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. In Rwanda, climate change was mainstreamed in the ongoing preparation of the fifth Strategic Plan for Agriculture Transformation. Livestock activity data sheets and GHG baseline emission assessments were established in multiple countries, with tested and validated mitigation options in Kenya, Rwanda, and the United Republic of Tanzania. Kenya conducted a feasibility study to establish a national online Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system for the livestock sector. 


Government recommendations
The subprogramme made several key recommendations to governments and livestock stakeholders. It emphasized the need to assess and understand GHG emissions from the livestock sector, identify economically viable and locally adaptable mitigation options, and promote the adoption of climate-smart practices to improve productivity, reduce GHG emissions, and enhance resilience. The subprogramme recommended enhancing national MRV systems to monitor progresses on low-emission livestock development and increasing institutional capacity to assess GHG emissions and implement climate actions effectively. Additionally, raising awareness among farmers and policymakers about the interconnections between livestock and climate change; investing in research; developing roadmaps for mitigating methane and accessing climate finance through project proposals and collaboration with financial institutions were highlighted as important steps.


Next steps
The success of this initiative has led to the expansion of the subprogramme into a second phase. This new phase aims to support sustainable livestock transformation, climate resilience, food security, and livelihoods globally.