- Many African livestock breeds are at risk of extinction due to indiscriminate crossbreeding with exotic breeds, affecting their unique genetic traits.
Africa’s rich genetic resources have untapped potential to boost productivity, climate resilience and sustainable development, according to a new open-access reference, African Livestock Genetic Resources and Sustainable Breeding Strategies: Unlocking a Treasure Trove and Guide for Improved Productivity.
The book, officially launched today by the African Animal Breeding Network (AABNet) in collaboration with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the Center for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH) and the African Union’s Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), it consolidates decades of research on livestock genetics, breeding and adaptation strategies for Africa.
Livestock, climate and productivity: why it matters now
Africa is home to approximately one-third of the world’s total livestock population and is home to the world’s richest diversity of indigenous cattle (150 to 180), goats (289), poultry (126) and dromedaries (94), and the second highest diversity of indigenous sheep (363), rabbits (4) and donkeys (27).
The locally adapted breeds of these species have evolved over generations to survive heat, disease and variable food conditions, making them critical for climate adaptation and resilience in small-scale, low-input production systems.
Yet many African livestock breeds are at risk of extinction, mainly due to indiscriminate crossbreeding with exotic breeds, which compromises the unique genetic traits of these native animals. This is driven by a drive for higher productivity, often ignoring the fact that local breeds are better adapted to harsh environmental conditions.
Moreover, although the low productivity of indigenous varieties in these difficult smallholder farming environments leads to high GHG emissions per unit of product (2.1–5.0 kg CO2 eq/kg of product, closer to the global average), total emissions remain lower than in intensive farming regions. Improving genetics, animal health and management efficiency is a proven way to increase production while reducing emissions intensity, contributing to both climate mitigation and food security.
“The genetic diversity of African livestock herds is not just a heritage – it is a climate and development tool,” said Professor Appolinaire Djikeng, Director General of ILRI. “By using science-based breeding strategies we can improve productivity, increase resilience and reduce emissions intensity in African livestock systems.”
Evidence-based breeding for African production systems
The book emphasizes that breeding objectives should reflect farmers’ priorities and production realities. To be successful, genetic improvement programs must integrate adaptation and mitigation goals, involve farmers in decision-making, and strengthen institutional capacity for data collection, monitoring, and livestock breeding and management.
“Local varieties are the backbone of climate-resilient African agriculture,” says Professor Mizeck Chagunda, director of CTLGH. “Protecting and sustainably using these breeds through targeted breeding is essential if we are to secure livelihoods and meet the challenges of climate change.”
A coordinated response to protect African livestock breeds
The launch of this groundbreaking publication positions AABNet, ILRI, CTLGH, AU-IBAR and their national partners as leaders in coordinating the genetic improvement and conservation of African livestock herds.
These organizations emphasize the importance of multi-country genetic evaluation to address major gaps in human capacity and infrastructure for genetic evaluation in African countries, professional capacity building to promote innovation in education and strengthen human capacity in animal breeding across Africa, advocacy, awareness and business development to promote the use of advanced genetic tools and information to drive livestock production productivity, and collaboration, networking and partnerships to scale up breeding programs and promote the sustainable development of the improve livestock.
“Conserving and utilizing the genetic resources of indigenous African livestock production is a matter of climate and development security,” said Dr. Huyam Salih, director of AU-IBAR. “Strategic investments in genetic characterization, breeding programs and farmer-focused approaches will drive sustainable, resilient livestock systems for Africa’s future.”
A practical resource for policy, research and practice
The book provides actionable insights for governments, researchers and practitioners, including:
- Prioritize varieties with adaptive traits for climate resilience.
- Align breeding goals with production systems and the needs of farmers.
- Practical perspectives on feasible livestock strategies
- Highlights the central role of genetic characterization and presents opportunities and examples of the use of gene editing, as well as reproductive and genomic technologies in various animal species
- Integrating genetic improvement with conservation and sustainable use.
- Strengthening institutions, data systems and professional capacity to deliver results.
“AABNet was founded to bridge the gap between research and practice. This book, authored by our Pan-African community of experts, is our foundational text. It provides the common language and evidence base we need to professionalize animal breeding on the continent, combat genetic erosion and ensure farmers have access to reliable, productive and adapted animals,” said Ed Rege, Chairman of AABNet’s Executive Committee.
The book is open access and downloadable and serves as a practical reference for policy, research and training in Africa and globally.
Also read: Livestock farming is under pressure as Africa must strike a balance between food security and emissions reductions
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