Kenya Project

With support from GRA and other partners (e.g. CCAFS, FAO), Kenya has become a leader in East and Southern Africa in terms of policy and practice on climate smart livestock. With GRA support (2017-19), Kenya was one of the first African countries to develop a Tier 2 inventory for its dairy cattle sector. It also proposed a ‘Dairy NAMA’ as a programme of investment in low-emission dairy cattle production, which is now one of the key inputs to the Pathways to Dairy Net Zero programme being developed by IFAD, FAO, and the International Dairy Federation with Green Climate Fund financing. Strong leadership and stakeholder engagement by the State Department for Livestock (SDL) has been a key enabling factor in these advances. A GRA-supported review in 2020 to inform the last round of NDC updating identified the need to expand attention to non-dairy cattle, which are the largest source of livestock emission in Kenya, and to better link national agriculture data systems with GHG inventory needs.

NZCSA support to Kenya had 3 objectives:

1. To strengthen the capacities of SDL to compile and manage Tier 2 GHG inventories for all ruminant livestock species;

2. To support improvements in activity data collection systems in line with GHG inventory needs; and

3. To identify further livestock GHG mitigation options in line with sustainable development of the sector. 

• GHG inventory improvement and management: The Tier 2 dairy inventory was updated with new population data, and a new Tier 2 inventory for non-dairy cattle, sheep and goats was compiled. The inventory for camel was compiled using a country-specific Tier 1 emission factor. These inventories were compiled using Excel GHG calculator tools, and SOPs were agreed for ongoing inventory compilation by the SDL GHG management unit. SDL now has the capabilities to update and manage the Tier 2 inventory.  

• National data systems: Data on milk yield is a key input to the dairy GHG inventory and to tracking the effects of policies and measures in the dairy sector. Previous estimates were based on a standard; unchanging value applied across all dairy production systems in Kenya. The project piloted and produced guidelines for collecting dairy cattle milk yield data and for linking this data with the newly emerging agricultural statistics system, KIAMIS. Methods and guidelines for integrating data collection on manure management practices into KIAMIS were also produced, and for aligning cattle categories between KIAMIS and the GHG inventory. 

• GHG mitigation options: Based on stakeholder consultations and existing policy targets, an assessment was conducted of the GHG mitigation potential of several options in the beef sector (i.e., improved animal health, improved breeds, improved feed, and rangeland restoration). The assessment showed significant potential to increase beef production while reducing GHG emission intensity, including through carbon sequestration in rangelands. The assessment was an important input into SDL’s policy discussions in relation to NDC updating in 2025. The ILRI team also conducted extensive experimental studies assessing both manure and enteric management options to reduce emissions, drawing in trainee scientists from Benin and Uganda. These studies fed into the Africa-wide program on Biogas development where ILRI has a leadership role, as well as evaluating nutritional management (in dairy) and the inclusion of forage legumes (Leucaena and Glyricidia) in the diet that can drive both production and mitigation. 

• Significant advances in the CSA agenda beyond the dairy sector: Compilation of a Tier 2 inventory for all non-dairy ruminant species has provided SDL and other stakeholders with a country-specific evidence base from which to further consider the CSA agenda beyond the dairy sector which has to date been the main area of focus. The assessment of beef sector mitigation potential highlighted several promising directions for SDL and stakeholders to continue pursuing through ongoing CCAC grants and other future funding. As the case of the dairy sector has shown, this includes the potential to unlock climate finance to support low-emission development in the sector. 

• Institutionalising GHG inventory processes: The SDL GHG management unit and other stakeholders involved in inventory compilation now have the tools, skills, and SOPs to regularly report a more advanced inventory for all ruminant livestock species. The NZCSA recommendations on data collection provide a solid basis for SDL to continue engaging with the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics and KIAMIS to ensure that accurate country-specific data is available to support CSA policy decision making in the longer-term. 

• Enabling further research and development investment in Kenya: The inventory development work supported by NZ and the enabling of ILRI to provide informed comment on mitigation and management in rangeland systems has empowered ILRI to be highly successful in attracting new projects. These are in most cases international programs, so the impact is not just on Kenya but on a wide range of East, Central and West African countries.