Collaboration to build climate-resilient livestock systems in Africa and Asia

A Strategic Alliance between livestock researchers in Africa, Asia and Australia should improve environmental and efficiency outcomes for Africa’s mostly small-scale producers, according to the Director General of the International Livestock Research Institute, Professor Appolinaire Djikeng.

Speaking from his office in Nairobi, Kenya, Professor Djikeng said more than 80 per cent of East Africa’s livestock producers were small scale.

“And when I say small scale, I mean less than five cows, and some just have two or three,” he said.

“We do have some large-scale producers, but they are the exception.”

He said if one animal dies, it represents 20 per cent or more of the farmer’s asset.

The collaboration – an initiative to support the climate-resilient livestock farming systems – was announced during the second day of the international TropAg conference in Brisbane.

The Africa-Asia Biosciences Challenge Funds (AABCF) fellowship and graduate certificate program will offer fellowships to African and Asian livestock producers to improve access to climate-smart innovations and safeguard food production.

The establishment of the fellowship and graduate certificate program is supported by an Australian Government investment of AUD1 million through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR); a partnership arrangement between ILRI, which will facilitate information exchange and training through the alliance with the University of Queensland and the University of Melbourne.

UQ’s Professor Tim Mahony said the program was a great opportunity for the Fellows and the livestock scientists carrying out the training.

“Our aim is to increase capacity in six countries in Africa and southeast Asia (Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Vietnam, Lao PDR and Cambodia) by building a cohort of trained researchers, who can learn from our successes in the harsh Australian climate,” Professor Mahony said.

“Most of these countries have a challenging production environment, similar to Australia’s northern herds, so we’re focused on breeding and improving productivity in livestock and building that in-country capability.

“I think there is also an opportunity for us to learn a great deal from the way things are done there,” Professor Mahony said.

Professor Djikeng believes “it’s a win-win kind of relationship.”

“We acknowledge the fact that institutions in Australia – the University of Melbourne, The University of Queensland, the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) and CSIRO, all have innovations they have all done that have transformed the general agricultural sector.

“And opportunities have to be created for some of those innovations to have impact in this part of the world (Africa).”

Professor Djikeng said climate change is adversely impacting food production in Africa, where food scarcity is already a problem, particularly when it comes to protein sources.

He said Africans are experiencing increased temperatures and changing animal disease patterns.

He maintains improved animal health leads to reductions in harmful greenhouse gas emissions, so advanced use of genetics, nutrition and land management can result in improved environmental and productivity outcomes.

“Available innovations and technologies can really help us to contribute towards reducing emissions in livestock systems regardless of the system,” Professor Djikeng said.

“It doesn’t have to be done just for large farms; it can even be done for small scale farms.”

Professor Djikeng said there were many similarities between the livestock agriculture issues facing producers in Australia and Africa.

“I am convinced that Australia in terms of the scientific power has a lot to offer here, because the productions systems are very similar, disease pressure, increased temperature,” he said.

“We benefit from very similar geographies, and I think some innovations which work in Australia will need (very little) tweaking to work here.”

He appreciated the commitment from Australia.

“It’s not just the money but the catalytic nature of that funding to help us … moving forward,” he said.

UQ and UoM researchers will hold a one-week workshop in Nairobi in January 2026, and then a similar workshop in Hanoi, Vietnam for the southeast Asian researchers.

“Longer term, we would continue to mentor the Fellows whose projects are showing promise,” Professor Mahony said.

“And perhaps one day progress to offering PhD places either at UQ or UoM.”

Contacts: Prof Appolinaire Djikeng, Director General, International Livestock Research Institute, A.Djikeng@cgiar.org  Prof Tim Mahony, Director Centre for Animal Science, The University of Queensland t.mahony@uq.edu.au mobile: 0412 150 129.

Media contact: Natalie MacGregor, The University of Queensland +61 409 135 651 or n.macgregor@uq.edu.au

Images and file footage available from Dropbox.