Fund for Future Livestock Systems: research funding initiative on climate and livestock systems

 
IDRC is pleased to announce the Fund for Future Climate-Smart Livestock Systems in Africa. This joint initiative with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation recognizes the significant — yet neglected — potential for climate-smart innovations in livestock systems to contribute to climate adaptation and mitigation.
A woman smiles while crouching and milking a goat. Her husband crouches on the other side of the goat while holding the goat’s restraint.  
Brian Sokol/IDRC 
Gestelina Hambo and her husband Juma work together to milk one of their dairy goats in the Morogoro Region of Tanzania. 

Announced at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, the Fund for Future Climate-Smart Livestock Systems in Africa initiative is a CAD12-million (USD9 million), five-year initiative implemented by IDRC and supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This partnership builds on lessons learned and expertise derived from past IDRC-Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation livestock-related programming, including the Livestock Vaccine Innovation Fund, a CAD57-million partnership seeking to improve the health of livestock and protect the livelihoods of smallholder farmers.

The Fund will be piloted in a select few African countries to address the significant funding gap at the intersection of climate finance and livestock systems. The agriculture sector receives only 1-3% of all global climate adaptation and mitigation funding, of which livestock represents an even smaller share. By supporting the development of new climate-smart technologies and business models to improve animal production for small and medium livestock holders, this Fund aims to reduce the impacts of the climate financing gap.

The Fund for Future Climate-Smart Livestock Systems will have the following areas of focus:

  • developing and supporting the uptake of new climate-smart technologies and business models;
  • strengthening the capacity of researchers to support uptake and development of climate-smart technologies and business models;
  • fostering gender equality and inclusion.

The Fund for Future Climate-Smart Livestock Systems in Africa could quickly expand to other regions and climate change hotspots if additional funders join the initiative. Interested funders are invited to take part in a multi-stakeholder consultation, slotted for early 2023, which will kick off the Fund’s activities. This event will bring together local experts on livestock, gender and climate adaptation, along with interested funding agencies and other relevant networks and stakeholders to set priorities for the Fund and inform its activities. 

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