How will a growing demand for meat and milk affect the environmental impact of Kenyan highland farms

Experts at Bangor University are set to work with smallholders in the Kenyan highlands to assess the efficiency of their grazing practices and the effect of those practices on the environment.

How will a growing demand for meat and milk affect the environmental impact of Kenyan highland farms

Population growth and increasing prosperity in African countries is predicted to significantly increase the demand for dairy products in the coming decades. These continental-wide trends are reflected in Kenya, where demand for milk is set to increase by 38% by 2050 compared to levels in 2019 and where the government has pledged to increase its production by 150% by 2030.

Accounting for only 11% of the total land area, the highlands of Kenya have some of the world’s most biodiverse regions, yet it also homes the majority of the country’s population. This causes significant environmental pressure through land degradation as a result of climate and land-use change, and the unsustainable use of the natural resources.

Most Kenyan highlands farms are smallholdings, where pasture accounts from 53% to 100% of the animal food source.

Little is understood about how these important farmers manage their pasture, or how that affects biodiversity or climate resilience, greenhouse gas emissions or livestock productivity.

Experts at Bangor University are set to work with smallholders in the Kenyan highlands to assess the efficiency of their grazing practices and the effect of those practices on the environment.

Working with the smallholders themselves, and partners at ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute, the University of Eldoret and the Kenyan Natural history Museum, the researchers will investigate how pasture management contributes to biodiversity in these smallholdings.

Dr James Gibbons, an expert in ecological modelling at Bangor University, will be leading the research. He explains,

Smallholder farms are critical to the ecological dynamics of the Kenyan highland ecosystems. We’ll be involving the farmers in citizen science, so that we can all understand the ecological and economic implications of pasture management in these biodiverse and vulnerable areas. We’ll also be modelling the effects of spreading good practice and removing those practices which may not be as economically or environmentally effective. In turn, we can then make better informed recommendations to policy makers. The new information could also lead to the spread of good practices to other similar African regions.”

“A two-pronged approach can improve efficiency and reduce environmental degradation and emissions, while the current knowledge gap is a barrier to the investment needed to meet demands and for the country as a whole to meet its environmental targets.

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The research is one of 13 successful applications to the ‘Unlocking the potential of nature to deliver climate solutions and improve livelihoods’ programme. This is a UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme that funds research into nature-based solutions to climate change and poverty reduction, which is managed by the Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate via DEFRA.

“We are very excited to announce the first round of grant award recipients through the Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate (GCBC) in partnership with RBG Kew and DAI Global UK. This is a significant milestone and the first step towards delivering climate solutions for vulnerable populations by working in partnership with organizations across the Global South to harness nature’s potential to enhance climate resilience and improve livelihoods,” said Professor Gideon Henderson, Chief Scientific Adviser, UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.