المنتدى العالمي المعني بالأمن الغذائي والتغذية

Re: Multistakeholder Partnerships to Finance and Improve Food Security and Nutrition in the Framework of the 2030 Agenda - HLPE e-consultation on the Report’s scope, proposed by the HLPE Steering Committee

Eltighani Elamin

Sudan
 
I have developed a concept not for the FAO Symposium in 2010 when I was with AU-IBAR, which I see it is still relevant to this study.
 
The AU-IBAR (African Union-Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources) proposes to undertake an African based global policy consultation, under the auspices of its Strategic plan (SP) 2010-2014, to explore the effects of the Climate Change (CC) on the livelihoods of the African rural communities in terms of the linkages among animal agriculture, nutrition, and health to inform policies and strategies to better leverage animal agriculture in improving nutritional security and wellbeing outcomes. Persistent hunger, malnutrition, and ill health, made worse by the recent global food and financial crises, threaten the ability of the African continent to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on time. Yet worst, the African continent economic disgraceful growth rates are further threatened by the gloomy forecasts made by climate and ecosystem scientists.
 
The expected outcomes from this policy consultation with copartners are to (1) help key stakeholders including the  African Member States, and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) better understand the linkages among animal agriculture, nutrition, and health that are accountable for reducing poverty and alleviating hunger; (2) increase the awareness of the ways in which animal agriculture could be leveraged to accommodate CC and maintain these positive linkages; (3) create a network for cross-sectional dialogue and information sharing at all levels; and (4) Assist stakeholders in designing and implementing strategies and programs that tap into animal agricultural development for improving nutrition, health and wellbeing of the African populations.

A number of program interventions could be suggested for the forthcoming policy consultation with copartners; they are listed as follows:

1.     Community Based Drought Management for the Pastoral and Agro-pastoral Livestock Production Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa.

2.     Mechanisms for joint preparation of strategies and programmes for the progressive control and eradication of TADs, zoonoses and emerging diseases.

3.     Strengthening the involvement and role of AU-IBAR in emergency situations in Africa based on the experiences of FAO.

4.     Climate change is forecasted to lead to contraction in cultivable land areas in most African countries. Lands that are predicted to be unfavorable for crop farming can be utilized for grazing expansion of improved environmentally tolerant animal breeds. This requires more investment on research / innovations to develop better adapted breeds to the new environmental conditions and to be accessible to small producers. AU-IBAR can take initiative in that direction.

5.     African domestic livestock breeds had adapted over the time to their environmental settings and are optimum producers within those settings. Conventional livestock producers often strategize the selection of hard breeds that are tolerable to harsh environments and poor management practices. AU-IBAR can build on that by taking the lead to sensitize national and regional research insinuations to further explore that option. The response for the adoption of the research results is expected to be high amongst traditional livestock keepers since that is their common practice.

6.     Modeling scenarios predict severe constraints to the horizontal expansion of crop farming due to poor soils resulting from the CC. Significant cultivable land losses are predicted in Northern & Southern Africa due to unfavorable planting conditions of high temperatures and moisture stresses. Yield from rain-fed crop-farming is forecasted to decline by up to 50%  in some African countries and around 20-30% of plant and animal species are likely to be subjected to the risks of extinction if rise in global temperature exceeded 1.5 -2.5 C° . AU-IBAR can launch an initiative at the continental level to identify animals that are at risk of extinction (endangered species). This can be lead jointly with RECs and cooperation of Au-member states to go about exploring possible means for conservation (e.g. by encouraging rebreeding programs and establishment of regional genes banks .etc.), benefiting from the available innovations & technologies and, seeking financial support from relative organizations that are concerned with gene conservation world-wide.

7.     Documenting existing continental data/information and build evidence on both the negative and positive contribution of livestock to climate; and effects of CC on animal resources in particular and the natural resources base too.

8.     Facilitate/ prioritize research work to build on the existing knowledge on both negative and positive contribution of livestock to climate change, and on natural resources.

9.     Evidence based advocacy work on the contemporary CC issues at all levels, from grass root level to high policy makers in a coordinated manner.

 

10.  Coordinate policy and institutional reforms to facilitate the CC adaptation mitigation and adaptation options.

11.  Relevant capacity building across all levels and dimensions, including communities.

12.   Climate Change mitigation programs on African fisheries and aquaculture ecosystems and habitats.