Kenya is developing a master plan to climate-proof its livestock sector, aiming to tackle hunger and malnutrition while broadening revenue streams for pastoralists in semi-arid regions, a senior official said on Friday. Mutahi Kagwe, cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, said the government has prioritized investments in climate-smart animal husbandry, given its potential to improve the livelihoods of subsistence farmers and herders. The livestock sector has played a key role in generating incomes and meeting the dietary needs of citizens living in arid and semi-arid lands. Hence, our determination to make it climate-resilient, Kagwe said in a speech read on his behalf by Christopher Wanga, director of livestock policy research and regulations at the ministry. He made the remarks in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, during the launch of a seven-year program by Heifer International, a development organization dedicated to transforming the poultry, dairy, red meat, and horticulture value chains. Dubbed Practice for Change, the 95.7 million U.S. dollar project will run from 2025 to 2030. It aims to enhance the resilience of 625,000 smallholder farmers and herders across 25 counties by addressing systemic challenges, including limited access to capital, markets, and technologies. The livestock sector contributes about 12 percent to Kenya's gross domestic product and plays a pivotal role in food security, foreign exchange earnings through exports, and rural development, Kagwe said.
