Local context is everything: It’s how animals are produced that’s important
As a vegetarian, my occupation as a livestock scientist might come as an odd choice. But here’s the thing: Livestock science isn’t about promoting meat eating; it’s about investigating better ways of farming meat so we don’t harm the environment in the process.
Global projections show that rising incomes are only expected to increase the demand for meat. I don’t think that has to be a bad thing.
The question for me is not whether we produce or eat meat — but how we do it. And lab-grown meat, which has recently grabbed global headlines, is not the only way.
Some key reasons farmers keep animals, especially in developing countries, are so they can earn better incomes, have better prospects for their families, and produce manure to fertilize their farms. Eating meat regularly is often not an option. Milk, eggs and other dairy products, however, contribute toward a more nutritious diet.
There’s a tool that was developed to support governments, NGOs and extension workers as they guide farmers through complex decisions, so they can earn better incomes, put more food on the table and protect the environment at the same time. Called CLEANED, it gives best-bet options for making the most of limited resources in specific contexts and circumstances.
Farmers are entrepreneurs: They need to think about the bottom line, and they need to make trade-offs. In Kenya, they will weigh up the amount of land they will need to grow animal feed for example, with how much they need for maize. Will they make more money from corn than from milk? And if the answer is yes, does the milk have other benefits instead, like feeding the family?
In increasingly complex scenarios, with less land and fewer resources available, it’s becoming harder for farmers to make these decisions. Especially when you bring climate mitigating factors —such as which farming practices are more environment-friendly — into the equation.
CLEANED provides a rapid assessment that quantifies potential environmental impacts of planned livestock development interventions at multiple spatial scales. With a particular focus on developing countries, it requires participatory discussions with local communities to make sure that assessments are relevant to local agro-ecological landscapes and production systems.
The results help extension workers or NGOs anticipate the consequences of certain actions, so that other supportive actions can be incorporated into activities. We have now tested the tool in Western Kenya, piloted together with the NGO Send a Cow and the Kenyan Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) — and interventions are now being planned.
For example, if farmer Joseph planted a leguminous forage like Desmodium uncinatum instead of natural vegetation on his farm, he would improve nitrogen in his soil. If farmer Jane planted fodder trees such as Calliandra calothyrsus on her farm, the cows would produce more milk and emit less greenhouse gasemissions. The scenarios presented in the tool show that, if farmer Joseph and Jane were to do these things, they could double their yields and incomes.
This, however, would be dependent on certain conditions: Joseph would need better information about how to plant the nitrogen-fixing Desmodium uncinatum so that it establishes well. And Jane would need to be able to find Calliandra calothyrsus seedlings in her local market.
The biggest lesson from our pilot research is that every farm is different, and farmers need to consider their own resources before taking new interventions into account. Some farms are closer to markets than others; some are on sloping land; others are on flat land.
These things will have an impact on how much fodder a farmer can grow, or sell, or how much water is available on the land. There are other elements to take into account: the varied skills, labor and resources that farmers have at their disposal.
The tool, then, helps to throw light on recommendations and solutions. Extension services could include forage legume intercropping information in their outreach. The private sector could be encouraged to multiply and supply Desmodium uncinatum seeds in these areas.
The next stage of the pilot will focus on training and capacity building, so that support networks and extension services can carry out assessments and use the tool at a wider scale.
What CLEANED helps us do is to look at the potential of a farm from different angles. That’s what being a livestock scientists is about: helping people make the best choices — including whether or not to eat meat.
The CLEANED tool is available here. It is supported by the Gates Foundation and the CGIAR Research Programs on Livestock and Fish and Livestock.
