Key Interventions for Sustainable Animal Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Science-Based Approach  

作　　者：Michiel M. Scholtz Motshabi C. Mokolobate-Chadyiwa Cuthbert B. Banga Michiel M. Scholtz;Motshabi C. Mokolobate-Chadyiwa;Cuthbert B. Banga(Agricultural Research Council, Animal Production, Centurion, South Africa;Department of Animal Science, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa;Department of Animal Science, Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Gaborone, Botswana;Department of Animal Sciences, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa;Department of Agriculture and Animal Health, University of South Africa, Florida, South Africa)

机构地区：[1]Agricultural Research Council, Animal Production, Centurion, South Africa [2]Department of Animal Science, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa [3]Department of Animal Science, Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Gaborone, Botswana [4]Department of Animal Sciences, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa [5]Department of Agriculture and Animal Health, University of South Africa, Florida, South Africa

出　　处：《Agricultural Sciences》2024年第12期1497-1510,共14页农业科学(英文)

摘　　要：Issues that dominate Sub-Saharan African animal agriculture are low production levels and environmental sustainability, including climate, biodiversity, and land use. There are inadequate evidence-based decisions on important issues related to sustainable animal agriculture such as greenhouse gas emissions from livestock, the water footprint, and models to estimate greenhouse gas emissions. It is therefore emphasized in this paper that decisions around strategies related to future sustainability must be evidence-based, implying that research becomes a fundamental part of ensuring the sustainability of animal agriculture, which makes collaboration between regions vitally important. Fourteen interventions that are needed for sub-Saharan Africa are mentioned and briefly discussed. These include (1) the use of indigenous/adapted genotypes, (2) the development of early warning systems and (3) alternative production systems, which can be linked to adaptation. The interventions linked to mitigation are: (4) improved cow-calf efficiency/alternative breeding objectives, (5) carbon sequestration, (6) carbon footprint within different resource environments, (7) feeding and grazing, (8) rumen manipulation (9) land use and greenhouse gas emissions and (10) management. Lastly the interventions linked to resilience are (11) resilience to variation in climate, (12) breed/genotype plasticity and (13) epigenetics. There is no simple strategy to address climate change for Sub-Saharan African animal agriculture. Furthermore, solutions for Europe and North America will be different from those for Sub-Saharan Africa. No single country, industry, or organisation within Sub-Saharan Africa can carry out such research on its own. This emphasizes the importance of focusing on Global South scientific collaborations and the establishment of virtual centres of excellence will be beneficial.Issues that dominate Sub-Saharan African animal agriculture are low production levels and environmental sustainability, including climate, biodiversity, and land use. There are inadequate evidence-based decisions on important issues related to sustainable animal agriculture such as greenhouse gas emissions from livestock, the water footprint, and models to estimate greenhouse gas emissions. It is therefore emphasized in this paper that decisions around strategies related to future sustainability must be evidence-based, implying that research becomes a fundamental part of ensuring the sustainability of animal agriculture, which makes collaboration between regions vitally important. Fourteen interventions that are needed for sub-Saharan Africa are mentioned and briefly discussed. These include (1) the use of indigenous/adapted genotypes, (2) the development of early warning systems and (3) alternative production systems, which can be linked to adaptation. The interventions linked to mitigation are: (4) improved cow-calf efficiency/alternative breeding objectives, (5) carbon sequestration, (6) carbon footprint within different resource environments, (7) feeding and grazing, (8) rumen manipulation (9) land use and greenhouse gas emissions and (10) management. Lastly the interventions linked to resilience are (11) resilience to variation in climate, (12) breed/genotype plasticity and (13) epigenetics. There is no simple strategy to address climate change for Sub-Saharan African animal agriculture. Furthermore, solutions for Europe and North America will be different from those for Sub-Saharan Africa. No single country, industry, or organisation within Sub-Saharan Africa can carry out such research on its own. This emphasizes the importance of focusing on Global South scientific collaborations and the establishment of virtual centres of excellence will be beneficial.

关 键 词：COLLABORATION Evidence-Based Decisions Interventions Virtual Centres 

分 类 号：F42[经济管理—产业经济]