World Animal Protection and Partners have called upon African governments and participants of the Africa Climate Summit 2023, being held in the country, to acknowledge the climatic and environmental impact of unsustainable livestock production systems.
Consequently, the meeting should push for the adoption of a transition to humane, sustainable, and regenerative livestock production systems.
Speaking during a pre-climate week media briefing in Nairobi, the animal welfare advocates noted that factory farming is always almost overlooked as the climate culprit within the agriculture sector, yet it is factory farming that rips down forests to plant crops for animal feed, besides releasing carbon into the atmosphere.
They added that it is factory farming that also devastates wildlife habitats, displaces local communities, and profits from the cruel treatment of billions of farmed animals each year.
Tennyson Williams, Director for Africa at World Animal Protection, said there is a nexus between animal agriculture and climate change, and this discussion should not be overlooked during climate discussions.
The inaugural Africa Climate Summit is from September 4th to September 6th and is aimed at addressing the increasing exposure to climate change and its associated costs, both globally and particularly in Africa.
“This week, the whole of Africa is convening in Nairobi to seek solutions to the climate crisis. We ask them to endorse sustainable livestock farming practices, embrace African traditional food systems, and prioritise local communities’ needs as part of sustainable practices that can guarantee a safer future,” said Williams.
The Director for AU-IBAR, Dr. Huyian Ahmend Salih, noted that large-scale deforestation, habitat degradation and fragmentation, agriculture intensification, dilapidating livestock production, and trade in animal species and plants are drivers of biodiversity loss and the emergence of new diseases.
She called for strong interlinkage between animal welfare, the environment, and socio-economic development and emphasised the need to place animal welfare at the centre stage of the Global Environment Agenda and Sustainable Development.
While receiving the communiqué, Ismael Faheny, Advisor for Water and Environmental Management at the Office of the President, commended World Animal Protection and partners for promoting sustainable livestock production systems to mitigate against climate change.
“It has been proven beyond doubt that sustainable and regenerative agriculture measures, designed to put farmers at the centre, can improve livestock yields, turn farmland and pastures into carbon sinks, reverse forest loss, optimise the use of nitrogen-based fertilisers, and rethink global and local supply chains to be more sustainable,” he said, adding that Kenya and Africa are the best partners for this paradigm shift.
Kenya is co-hosting the inaugural Africa Climate Summit (ACS) with the Africa Union Commission, providing a platform to deliberate on the nexus of climate change, Africa’s development reality, and the need to push for increased investment in climate action globally and specifically in Africa.
The breakfast meeting brought together stakeholders from the government, civil society, private sector, and academia critical to the agriculture, animal welfare, environmental, and food industries and culminated in a communiqué being delivered to the climate envoy present at the event.
The communiqué called upon African governments and the Africa Climate Envoys to also update their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to include targets for livestock farming greenhouse gas emissions, champion food sovereignty by supporting small-scale livestock farmers, promote local food systems, and mainstream and recognise the critical role of African traditional food systems.
By Wangari Ndirangu
