Nairobi — The IGAD region has lost a whooping 2 billion US dollars over the last two years from the death of more than 9 million livestock due inadequate feed and fodder.
Animal Health Expert at IGAD Dr Wamalwa Kinyanjui says the situation has been aggravated further due to the current shortage of feed and fodder, due to climate change, COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Kenya has a 60 percent feed shortage.
He was speaking during the Resilient African Feed Systems Stakeholder workshop, planned by the African Union-InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) in collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Dr Wamalwa said there is need for countries like Kenya and others within the IGAD region to carry an, "estimation of feed resources to meet increasing demand of animal products."
"If feed is in excess, develop and use feed conservation approaches."
During the five-day workshop that kicked off on Monday, the AU-IBAR said women in rural areas and informal sectors are more vulnerable to the increased prices and unavailability of livestock-sourced foods in Kenya due to the crisis.
Kenya alone has lost more than 2 million livestock due to drought, for the last 2 years.
The bureau said this means many families had their livelihoods eroded and loss of their income.
According to AU-IBAR Ag Director Dr Nick Mwankpa, the crisis has been occasioned by climate change, the global COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
"Feeds constitute 60-70 percent of the total cost of animal production: the crises have exposed the significant weaknesses and vulnerabilities in the African feed and fodder input and supply chains," AU-IBAR Ag Director Dr Nick Mwankpa said.
Mwankpa noted that," addressing feed and fodder shortages in the short-term protects livelihoods and ensures business continuity and sustainable livelihoods."
AU-IBAR Resilient African Feed and Fodder Systems Project proposes strengthening analytical capacity for evidence based decision making and attracting investment, identifying and upscaling viable existing approaches in addressing the crisis.
"The multiplicity and increasing frequency and severity of shocks and their complex and interlocking effects demands an approach that will also strengthen resilience in feed and fodder systems," Dr Mwankpa said.
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AU-IBAR is mandated to lead and support livestock development across the continent.
The workshop was attended by among others Dr. Christopher Wanga, Director of Livestock Policy Research and Regulations, State Department for livestock Ministry of agriculture Livestock and Fisheries.
"Mostly, the farmer has been left to deal with the feed and fodder production. The government provides an enabling environment for them to do well. They, however, need more support," Wanga said during the workshop.
He revealed that in Kenya, over 2.5 million livestock was lost in the recent drought that ravaged the Horn of Africa.
To address the crisis, he said the Kenya Development Corporation is giving loans to farmers to support the feed and fodder productions, saying, " more farmers can access loans which is a step in the right direction.
