Strengthening Rwanda's livestock sector: A professional hands-on training on climate actions

Livestock systems, encompassing cattle, goats, sheep, and poultry, play a pivotal role in ensuring food security, income generation, and employment in Rwanda. Recognizing the challenges, particularly rising greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, Rwanda committed to implementing effective mitigation and adaptation measures in its livestock sector.

About the training

Under the FAO Flexible Voluntary Contributions (FVC) subprogramme on "Scaling-up climate actions to enhance Nationally Determined Contributions and climate and livestock," jointly implemented by FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI) of Rwanda, the hands-on training was organized from 21 to 23 November 2023 in Rubavu, Rwanda. The training brought together 35 participants from diverse sectors, including government institutions, academia, and the private sector. The initiative aimed to bolster mitigation and adaptation programs, supporting climate resilience, food security, and livelihoods in alignment with the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Objectives and recommendations

The training aimed at increasing knowledge about livestock systems in the context of climate change, raising awareness about livestock climate actions, and building the capacity to compile greenhouse gas inventories using the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Tier 2 approach and use tools for quantifying emissions. Participants gained the ability to describe the role of livestock systems in climate change, assess greenhouse gas emissions, and identify mitigation and adaptation options in Rwanda’s livestock sector. Recommendations from participants included expanding training on greenhouse gas inventory for other species, incorporating more practical and experimental methods for measuring methane emissions, integrating climate change and greenhouse gas emission topics into university curricula and farmer field school training, increasing the number of trainees, providing full training on the Global Livestock Environmental Assessment Model (GLEAM) and raising awareness among farmers.

Next steps

FAO's follow-up actions include strengthening collaboration with Rwanda Environmental Management Authority (REMA) on greenhouse gas inventories, measurement, reporting and verification framework for livestock, and roadmap development for a low-emissions and climate-resilient livestock sector. This training marks a significant stride in building the capacities of Rwanda's livestock stakeholders on climate change issues. With participants equipped with enhanced knowledge and practical skills, it is expected that they will use them to support the implementation of livestock-related commitments in nationally determined contributions in collaboration with other national and international stakeholders.