New research to tackle cattle methane emissions in Africa

Breeding more environmentally friendly dairy cows in African smallholdings could play an important role in the fight against climate change. Current research shows that Africa is responsible for around 4 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. However, with the continent’s population set to double by 2050, it is important to have mechanisms in place to mitigate these emissions and address a “critical research gap”. Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute) have been awarded £1.5 million by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help develop a selection index for the smallholder dairy system. It is hoped this will eventually result in the smallholder dairy ‘enviro-cow’ – an animal which has less impact on the environment, is better at utilising feed, and is altogether more productive and efficient. The project, which was officially launched in Ethiopia last week, aims to better quantify part of the greenhouse gas emissions of African ...