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Demand for animal−source foods and livestock feed are forecast to increase across sub-Saharan Africa. In this context, there is a need to estimate the availability of livestock feed to support decision−making at local, sub-national and national levels. In this study, we assess feed balances for ruminant livestock in Ethiopia and Burkina Faso. Feed availability was estimated using remotely sensed products and detailed feed composition data. Feed requirements were estimated for maintenance, growth, lactation, gestation and locomotion using a data−intensive model. Biomass available as animal feed was estimated to be 8.6 tonnes of DM per hectare in the Ethiopian highlands and midlands, 3.2 tonnes DM per hectare in the Ethiopian lowlands, 2.9 tonnes DM per hectare in Burkina Faso’s Sudanian agro-ecological zone and 1.0 tonne DM per hectare in the Sahel. The energy requirements of lactating cows were estimated to be 62.1 Megajoules (MJs) per animal per day in the Ethiopian highlands and midlands, 62.7 MJ in the Ethiopian lowlands, 88.5 MJ in Burkina Faso’s Sudanian agro-ecological zone and 53.1 MJ per animal per day in the Sahel. Feed scarcity hotspots are most prominently located in the Ethiopian highlands and the Sahelian agro-ecological zone of Burkina Faso. Demand−side policy and investment initiatives can address hotspots by influencing herd sizes, nutritional requirements and herd mobility. Supply−side policy and investment initiatives can secure existing feed resources, develop new sources of feed and incentivise trade in feed resources. Improving feed balances will be of value to decision−makers with the aims of optimising livestock productivity, minimising exposure to climatic shocks and minimising greenhouse gas emission intensity.

Animal genetics, management, diseases, feeds and environment affect milk production in cattle. Feed is the most important and when addressed, cattle show immediate responses. In sub-Saharan Africa, livestock productivity is low largely due to use of low-quality crop residues and natural pastures, often poor in key nutrients for animal performance. In an 8-week on-farm feeding trial with farmers’ participation, milk production under farmers’ practice (FP) was compared with the use of improved Urochloa hybrid cultivar ‘Cobra’ hay (Cobra hay) as an intervention (IN). A crossover design with each cow undergoing FP and IN phases was used. For the initial 2 weeks, the experiment followed FP before shifting to 50-50 FP/IN in week 3 and 100% IN in week 4 and 5, followed by 50-50 FP/IN in week six and 100% FP in week 7 and 8. Milk production increased by 15 % under IN and was associated with better feed utilization efficiency of 2 kg DM Cobra hay/L of milk. The use of Cobra hay has potential to increase dairy productivity in Tanzania and other similar tropical ecologies and contexts in sub-Saharan Africa.

Livestock productivity in East Africa, and especially in Tanzania, remains persistently low, while greenhouse gas (GHG) emission intensities are among the highest worldwide. This mixed methods study aims to explore sustainable livestock intensification options that reduce agro-environmental trade-offs across different smallholder farming systems in Northern Tanzania. A smallholder livestock systems typology was constructed, and representative farms simulated with a whole farm multi-objective optimization model. Livestock contributed more than 90% of on-farm GHG emissions, and DAIRY had the lowest GHG emission intensity (2.1 kg CO2e kg−1 milk). All livestock systems had alternative options available to reduce agro-environmental trade-offs, including reducing ruminant numbers, replacing local cattle with improved dairy breeds, improving feeding through on-farm forage cultivation, and minimizing crop residue feeding. Three obstacles to adoption of these technologies became apparent: they require a skillful re-organization of the entire production system, result in loss of some multi-functionality of livestock, and incur higher production risks. Sustainable livestock intensification can be a key building block to Tanzania's climate-smart agriculture portfolio, providing synergies between productivity and income increases, and climate change mitigation as co-benefit. A better understanding of the institutional settings, incentives and coordination between stakeholders is needed to sustainably transform the livestock sector.

Heat stress is a global issue constraining pig productivity, and it is likely to intensify under future climate change. Technological advances in earth observation have made tools available that enable identification and mapping livestock species that are at risk of exposure to heat stress due to climate change. Here, we present a methodology to map the current and likely future heat stress risk in pigs using R software by combining the effects of temperature and relative humidity. We applied the method to growing-finishing pigs in Uganda. We mapped monthly heat stress risk and quantified the number of pigs exposed to heat stress using 18 global circulation models and projected impacts in the 2050s. Results show that more than 800 000 pigs in Uganda will be affected by heat stress in the future. The results can feed into evidence-based policy, planning and targeted resource allocation in the livestock sector.

The Zimbabwean dairy industry is massively underperforming, as evidenced by a reduction in milk yield from 262 million liters in 1990 to

Livestock productivity has remained low in sub-Saharan African countries compared to other places on the globe. The feeding component is the major limitation, in both quantity and quality. Among other inputs, feeding takes 55–70% of the costs involved. Livestock play a major role especially in smallholder mixed farms through provision of household nutrition and income through milk and meat. Equally, fertilization of cropland benefits from livestock manure, and livestock often act as insurance and savings by providing liquidity for unforeseen and urgent financial needs. Increasing livestock productivity would enhance the fore-mentioned benefits contributing to well-being and livelihoods. Toward this endeavor and with smallholder dairy farmers' participation, we undertook an evaluation of 10 selected forages from Urochloa Syn. Brachiaria and Megathyrsus syn. Panicum genus and compared them with Napier grass, i.e., Cenchrus purpureus Syn. Pennisetum purpureum commonly grown by farmers. For detailed and robust evaluation, we established the species in eight trial sites spread in four administrative counties in Western Kenya (Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega, and Siaya). In each site, the forages were established in plots in a randomized complete block design, replicated three times. Each site was linked to a group of farmers interested in dairy. For 2 years, dry matter production, plant height, and leaf-to-stem ratio was determined across all sites. Further, we guided farmers to generate participatory forage evaluation criteria, which they later administered across their respective forage demonstration sites individually on plot-by-plot basis to generate preference rating compared to what they normally grow—Napier grass. The results showed significant differences across the forage types within and between the sites. Cumulative dry matter yields ranged 13.7–49.9 t/ha over 10 harvestings across forage types and the counties, while values for crude protein were 1.85–6.23 t/ha and 110,222–375,988 MJ/ha for metabolizable energy. Farmer preferences emerged that highlighted forages with likely better chances of adoption with weighed scores ranging 5.5–7.6 against a scale of 1–9, across the counties. The observations provide additional and well-performing forage options for the farmers and possibly in similar production systems and ecologies. Awareness creation targeting livestock and dairy producers would be key, reaching, and informing them on alternative forage options, with potential to increase livestock productivity.

Livestock are critical for incomes, livelihoods, nutrition and ecosystems management throughout the global South. Livestock production and the consumption of livestock-based foods such as meat, cheese, and milk is, however, under global scrutiny for its contribution to global warming, deforestation, biodiversity loss, water use, pollution, and land/soil degradation. This paper argues that, although the environmental footprint of livestock production presents a real threat to planetary sustainability, also in the global south, this is highly contextual. Under certain context-specific management regimes livestock can deliver multiple benefits for people and planet. We provide evidence that a move toward sustainable intensification of livestock production is possible and could mitigate negative environmental impacts and even provide critical ecosystem services, such as improved soil health, carbon sequestration, and enhanced biodiversity on farms. The use of cultivated forages, many improved through selection or breeding and including grasses, legumes and trees, in integrated crop-tree-livestock systems is proposed as a stepping stone toward agroecological transformation. We introduce cultivated forages, explain their multi-functionality and provide an overview of where and to what extent the forages have been applied and how this has benefited people and the planet alike. We then examine their potential to contribute to the 13 principles of agroecology and find that integrating cultivated forages in mixed crop-tree-livestock systems follows a wide range of agroecological principles and increases the sustainability of livestock production across the globe. More research is, however, needed at the food system scale to fully understand the role of forages in the sociological and process aspects of agroecology. We make the case for further genetic improvement of cultivated forages and strong multi-disciplinary systems research to strengthen our understanding of the multidimensional impacts of forages and for managing agro-environmental trade-offs. We finish with a call for action, for the agroecological and livestock research and development communities to improve communication and join hands for a sustainable agri-food system transformation.

Two perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) varieties and 5 festulolium hybrids (L. perenne × Festuca spp.) were evaluated on-farm for their performance over one growing season on clay loam soils at Ol-joro-Orok in the central highlands of Kenya at about 2,600‒2,800 masl. Seed was sown in May 2015 and fertilizer (90 kg N + 90 kg P/ha) was applied at planting. The study continued for 8 months with harvests after 113, 99 and 32 days (3 growth cycles). Growth attributes assessed included dry matter yield (DMY) and plant height, while forage nutritive value was measured in terms of crude protein (CP), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) concentrations. At the end of the first growth cycle, 61 local dairy farmers rated the grasses on criteria they nominated as being important, including DMY, growth rate, height, frost tolerance, disease tolerance and leafiness. Total herbage yields for the whole study period (8 months) ranged from 14.6 to 18.0 t DM/ha for perennial ryegrass and 14.3 to 20.9 t DM/ha for festulolium with very poor growth in the third growth cycle. All perennial ryegrass and festulolium lines contained similar (P>0.05) concentrations of CP (163–190 g/kg DM), ADF (264–281 g/kg DM) and NDF (448–493 g/kg DM). For perennial ryegrass, farmers gave a minimum weighted score of 6.7 and for festulolium, 7.9. Based on herbage production, forage nutritive value and farmers’ assessments, we conclude that all perennial ryegrass and festulolium lines tested have the potential to contribute to improving the forage resource base in this and other similar areas, especially for farmers whose land sizes allow grazing instead of stall-based feeding only. Further studies with N applications after each harvest would determine whether yields can be maintained at high levels for longer than in this study, while grazing and feeding studies would determine how well the pastures support weight gains and milk yields. Studies over a number of years are needed to assess how persistent these varieties/hybrids are in this and other environments.

This paper describes data that were collected in three counties of western Kenya, namely Siaya, Bungoma, and Kakamega. The main aim of collecting the data was to assess the climate smartness, profitability and returns of soil protection and rehabilitation measures. The data were collected from 88 households. The households were selected using simple random sampling technique from a primary sampling frame of 180 farm households provided by the ministry of agriculture through the counties agricultural officers. The surveys were administered by trained research assistants using a structured questionnaire that was designed in Census and Survey Processing System (CSPro). Later, the data was exported to STATA version 14.1 for cleaning and management purposes. The data are hosted in an open source dataverse to allow other researchers generate new insights from the data (http://dx.doi.org/10.7910/DVN/K6JQXC). Keywords: Soil, Farm production, Cost and benefit, Climate-Smart soil practices, Kenya

As global demand for livestock products (such as meat, milk and eggs) is expected to double by 2050, necessary increases to future production must be reconciled with negative environmental impacts that livestock cause. This paper describes the LivestockPlus concept and demonstrates how the sowing of improved forages can lead to the sustainable intensification of mixed crop-forage-livestock-tree systems in the tropics by producing multiple social, economic and environmental benefits. Sustainable intensification not only improves the productivity of tropical forage-based systems but also reduces the ecological footprint of livestock production and generates a diversity of ecosystem services (ES) such as improved soil quality and reduced erosion, sedimentation and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Integrating improved grass and legume forages into mixed production systems (crop-livestock, tree-livestock, crop-tree-livestock) can restore degraded lands and enhance system resilience to drought and waterlogging associated with climate change. When properly managed tropical forages accumulate large amounts of carbon in soil, fix atmospheric nitrogen (legumes), inhibit nitrification in soil and reduce nitrous oxide emissions (grasses), and reduce GHG emissions per unit livestock product. The LivestockPlus concept is defined as the sustainable intensification of forage-based systems, which is based on 3 interrelated intensification processes: genetic intensification - the development and use of superior grass and legume cultivars for increased livestock productivity; ecological intensification - the development and application of improved farm and natural resource management practices; and socio-economic intensification - the improvement of local and national institutions and policies, which enable refinements of technologies and support their enduring use. Increases in livestock productivity will require coordinated efforts to develop supportive government, non-government organization and private sector policies that foster investments and fair market compensation for both the products and ES provided. Effective research-for-development efforts that promote agricultural and environmental benefits of forage-based systems can contribute towards implemention of LivestockPlus across a variety of geographic, political and socio-economic contexts.Keywords: Eco-efficiency, environmental benefits, livestock and environment, mixed farming, pastures, smallholders.DOI: 10.17138/TGFT(3)59-82