Policy and institutions needed to transform livestock systems under climate change

Burkart, Stefan., Sandoval, Yate D.F.2024.Policy and institutions needed to transform livestock systems under climate change.Brief.ILRI.Kenya

Despite global efforts to combat environmental degradation, the livestock sector remains a significant contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, biodiversity loss, deforestation and ecosystem contamination (Alkemade et al. 2012; Grossi et al. 2019; Fuentes et al. 2019; Česonienė et al. 2019; Mora et al. 2017). While international frameworks such as the Paris Agreement, Sustainable Development Goals and national strategies like Nationally Determined Contributions, National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans, National Adaptation Plans and Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions aim to address these issues, the adoption of sustainable practices and technologies in the agriculture and livestock sectors has been slow. Though well-intentioned, current policies often lack specific indicators and fail to create the conditions for large-scale implementation of sustainable solutions. Macro-level factors such as weak political will, fragmented stakeholder coordination and inconsistent policy continuity impede the development of effective frameworks tailored to the unique needs of each nation. A more cohesive and targeted approach is needed to address these challenges, emphasizing political commitment, multi-sector collaboration and investments in scalable technologies. Sustainable transformation in the livestock sector is critical to reducing GHG emissions and advancing global environmental goals. Against this background and based on research conducted under the CGIAR Livestock and Climate Initiative, this brief provides a comprehensive overview of what an enabling environment might look like to transform livestock systems under climate change and how policy analysis could contribute to its development.