Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Climate Change-Resilient Agriculture and Agroforestry pp 383–396Cite as

Livestock Technologies and Grazing Land Management Options for Climate Change Adaption and Mitigation as a Contribution for Food Security in Ethiopia: A Brief Overview

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Part of the book series: Climate Change Management ((CCM))

Abstract

African countries, like Ethiopia, are particularly vulnerable to climate change because their economies largely depend on climate-sensitive agricultural production. Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP) of Ethiopia recognized climate change as a huge threat and focusing on mitigation issues. The GTP stipulates the country’s ambition to build a climate resilient green economy by 2030. This paper looks at the potential of livestock technologies and grazing land management for mitigation and adaption to a changing climate. Research findings in Ethiopia showed that livestock technologies and management of grazing lands such as improving the quality of forage, feeding highly digestible forages, processing and preservation of feeds, use of controlled grazing instead of continuous grazing and inclusion of legumes in forage mixes, have a great response to climate change. The choices for application of the technologies and potential mitigation strategies primarily depend on the adoption and cost associated with it. Grazing land management not only mitigates climate change but also reduces soil erosion, increases carbon sequestration and contributes to the resilience of crop-livestock farming systems in Ethiopia. In conclusion, management of grazing lands and implementation of livestock technologies have good implications in mitigating climate change on top of income generation and thereby improving the livelihood of farmers in Ethiopia.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD   199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Abebe K (2017) Effect of climate change on nutritional supply to livestock production. Acad Res J Agri Sci Res 5(2):98–106

    Google Scholar 

  • Abela LS (2005) The contribution of livestock production to drought vulnerability reduction in Mwingi district, Kenya. Doctoral dissertation, University of Nairobi, CEES, Kenya

    Google Scholar 

  • Abberton MT, MacDuff JH, Marshall AH, Mike W (2007) The genetic improvement of forage grasses and legumes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A paper prepared by Humphreys from the plant breeding and genetics programme, Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Aberystwyth, United Kingdom in collaboration with the Plant Production and Protection Division, Crop and Grassland Service, of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Dec 2007

    Google Scholar 

  • Adhikari U, Nejadhashemi AP, Woznicki SA (2015) Climate change and eastern Africa: a review of impact on major crops. Food and Energy Security 4 (2):110–132

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ahmed F, Alam GM, Al-Amin AQ, Hassan CHB (2013) The impact of climate changes on livestock sector: challenging experience from Bangladesh. Asian J Anim Vet Adv 8:29–40

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Behnke R (2010) Trout and salmon of North America. Simon and Schuster, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Bannink A (2007) Feeding strategies to reduce methane loss in cattle. Rapport 34. 46 pagina’s, 6 figuren, 4 tabellen. Internet http://www.asg.wur.nl/po

  • Batjes NH (2004) Soil carbon stocks and projected changes according to land use and management: a case study for Kenya. Soil Use Manag 20(3):350–356

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boadi D, Benchaar C, Chiquette J, Massé D (2004) Mitigation strategies to reduce enteric methane emissions from dairy cows: update review. Can J Anim Sci 84(3):319–335

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bryan E, Ringler C, Okoba B, Koo J, Herrero M, Silvestri S (2011) Agricultural management for climate change adaptation, greenhouse gas mitigation, and agricultural productivity. IFPRI Discussion Paper 01098, June 2011. Insights from Kenya Environment and Production Technology Division

    Google Scholar 

  • Calvosa C, Chuluunbaatar D, Fara K (2009) Livestock and climate change. Livestock thematic papers tools for project design. International fund for agricultural development. Via Paolo di Dono, 44, 00142 Rome, Italy. website at www.ifad.org/lrkm/index.htm

  • Climate change national adaptation programme of action (NAPA) of Ethiopia (2007) National Meteorological Services Agency, Ministry of Water Resources, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa

    Google Scholar 

  • Climate resilient green economy (CRGE) (2011) Ethiopia’s vision for a climate resilient green economy. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, p 28

    Google Scholar 

  • Central Statistical Authority (CSA) (2013) National population statistics. Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa

    Google Scholar 

  • Conant RT, Paustian K (2002) Spatial variability of soil organic carbon in grasslands: implications for detecting change at different scales. Environ Pollut 116:S127–S135

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Conant RT, Drijber RA, Haddix ML, Parton WJ, Paul EA, Plante AF, Six J, Steinweg JM (2015) Sensitivity of organic matter decomposition to warming varies with its quality. Glob Change Biol 14(4):868–877

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Demir P, Bozukluhan K (2012) Economic losses resulting from respiratory diseases in cattle. J Anim Vet Adv 11:438–442

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (2011) Inventory of US greenhouse gas emissions and sinks: 1990–2009

    Google Scholar 

  • Ethiopia’s Climate Resilient Green (ECRG) (2011) Green economy strategy. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Google Scholar 

  • Ethiopian Panel on Climate Change (EPCC) (2015) First assessment report, Working Group II Agriculture and Food Security. Published by the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences

    Google Scholar 

  • Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) (2006) Poverty reduction strategy paper annual progress. IMF Country Report No. 06/27. https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/scr/2006/cr0627.pdf

  • Ford CW, Morrison IM, Wilson JR (1979) Temperature effects on lignin, hemicelluloses and cellulose in tropical and temperate grasses. Aust J Agri Res 30(4):621–633

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Getachew T (2015) Genetic diversity and admixture analysis of Ethiopian Fat-tailed and Awassi sheep using SNP markers for designing crossbreeding schemes. Doctoral dissertation, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna

    Google Scholar 

  • Halderman M (2004) The political economy of pro-poor livestock policy-making in Ethiopia. Pro-poor livestock policy initiative working paper, 19

    Google Scholar 

  • Hristov AN, Oh J, Lee C, Meinen R, Montes F, Ott T, Firkins J, Rotz A, Dell C, Adesogan A, Yang W, Tricarico J, Kebreab E, Waghorn G, Dijkstra J, Oosting S (2013) Mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions in livestock production—a review of technical options for non-CO2 emissions. In Gerber PJ, Henderson B, Makkar HPS (eds) FAO animal production and health paper no. 177. FAO, Rome, Italy

    Google Scholar 

  • Hopkins A, Del Prado A (2007) Implications of climate change for grassland in Europe: impacts, adaptations and mitigation options: a review. Grass Forage Sci 62(2):118–126

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kassahun A, Snyman HA, Smit GN (2008) Impact of rangeland degradation on the pastoral production systems, livelihoods and perceptions of the Somali pastoralists in Eastern Ethiopia. J Arid Environ 72(7):1265–1281

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kassie M, Jaleta M, Shiferaw B, Mmbando F, Mekuria M (2013) Adoption of interrelated sustainable agricultural practices in smallholder systems: evidence from rural Tanzania. Technol Forecast Soc Chang 80(3):525–540

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kefyalew A, Tegegne F (2012) The effect of climate change on ruminant livestock population dynamics in Ethiopia. Bahir Dar University, college of agriculture and environmental sciences, department of animal production and technology, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia and Mizan-Tepi University, college of agriculture and natural resources, department of animal sciences, Ethiopia. Livestock Research for Rural Development

    Google Scholar 

  • Khatri-Chhetria A, Aggarwal PK, Joshi PK, Vyasc S (2017) Farmers’ prioritization of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies. Agric Syst 151:184–191

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klopfenstein TJ, Krause VE, Jones MJ, Woods W (1972) Chemical treatment of low quality roughages. J Anim Sci 35(2):418–422

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lipson J et al (2011) Implications of livestock series. Evans School Policy Analysis and Research. EPAR Brief, pp 155–157

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu Z, Liu Y, Murphy J, Maghirang R (2017) Ammonia and Methane emission factors from cattle operations expressed as losses of dietary nutrients or energy. Agriculture 7(3):16

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mekuriaw S, Tegegn F, Mengistu A (2014) A review on reduction of greenhouse gas emission from ruminants through nutritional strategies. Acad J Environ Sci 2(1):006–014. http://www.academiapublishing.org/ajes

  • Nachmany M, Fankhauser S, Davidová J, Kingsmill N, Landesman T, Roppongi H, Schleifer P, Setzer J, Sharman A, Singleton CS, Sundaresan J, Townshend T (2015) Climate change legislation in Ethiopia. An excerpt from the 2015 global climate legislation study a review of climate change legislation in 99 Countries. www.lse.ac.uk/GranthamInstitute/legislation/

  • Ominski KH, Boadi DA, Wittenberg KM (2006) Enteric methane emissions from backgrounded cattle consuming all-forage diets. Can J Anim Sci 86(3):393–400

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Oudshoorn FW (2009) Innovative technology and sustainable development of organic dairy farming: the case of automatic milking systems in Denmark

    Google Scholar 

  • Pachauri RK, Allen MR, Barros VR, Broome J, Cramer W, Christ R, Church JA, Clarke L, Dahe Q, Dasgupta P, Dubash NK (2014) Climate change 2014: synthesis report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the fifth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, p. 151, IPCC

    Google Scholar 

  • Philander SG (ed) (2008) Encyclopedia of global warming and climate change. Sage, Beverley Hills

    Google Scholar 

  • Pires AJV, Carvalho GGPD, Ribeiro LSO (2010) Chemical treatment of roughage. Revista Brasileira de Zootecnia, 39:192–203

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reed MS, Stringer LC, Dougill AJ, Perkins JS, Atlhopheng JR, Mulale K, Favretto N (2015) Reorienting land degradation towards sustainable land management: linking sustainable livelihoods with ecosystem services in rangeland systems. J Environ Manage 151:472–485

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rowlinson P (2008) Adapting livestock production systems to climate change-temperate zones. In Proceedings of the livestock and global change conference, Tunisia, 25 May 2008

    Google Scholar 

  • Seré C, van der Zijpp A, Persley G, Rege E (2008) Dynamics of livestock production systems, drivers of change and prospects for animal genetic resources. Anim Genet Resour Inf 42:3–24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sejian V, Gaughan J, Baumgard L, Prasad C (eds) (2015) Climate change impact on livestock: adaptation and mitigation. Springer India, New Delhi

    Google Scholar 

  • Sidahmed AE, Nefzaoui A, El-Mourid M (2008) Livestock and climate change: coping and risk management strategies for a sustainable future. In Livestock and global change, pp 27–28

    Google Scholar 

  • Somorin OA (2010) Climate impacts, forest-dependent rural livelihoods and adaptation strategies in Africa: a review. Afr J Environ Sci Technol 4(13):903–912

    Google Scholar 

  • Steinfeld H, Gerber P (2010) Livestock production and the global environment: consume less or produce better? Proc Natl Acad Sci 107(43):18237–18238

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Takele R, Gebretsidik S (2015) Prediction of long-term pattern and its extreme event frequency of rainfall in Dire Dawa Region, Eastern Ethiopia. J Climatol Weather Forecast pp 1–15

    Google Scholar 

  • Tesfaye A, Chairatanayuth P (2007) Management and feeding systems of crop residues: the experience of East Shoa Zone, Ethiopia. Livestock Res Rural Dev 19(3):6–12

    Google Scholar 

  • Thornton PK, Herrero M (2010) Potential for reduced methane and carbon dioxide emissions from livestock and pasture management in the tropics. Proc Natl Acad Sci 107(46):19667–19672

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thornton PK, van de Steeg J, Notenbaert A, Herrero M (2009) The impacts of climate change on livestock and livestock systems in developing countries: a review of what we know and what we need to know. Agric Syst 101(3):113–127

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tubiello F (2012) Climate change adaptation and mitigation: challenges and opportunities in the food sector. Natural Resources Management and Environment Department, FAO, Rome. Prepared for the High-level conference on world food security: the challenges of climate change and bioenergy, Rome, 3–5 June 2008

    Google Scholar 

  • Ulyatt MJ, Lassey KR (2005) Methane emissions from pastoral systems: the situation in New Zealand. Archivos Latinoamericanos de Producción Animal, 9(2)

    Google Scholar 

  • Urquhart P (2009) IFAD’s response to climate change through support to adaptation and related actions. Comprehensive report: final version, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Rome, Italy. https://www.uncclearn.org/sites/default/files/inventory/ifad71.pdf

  • Wang JY, Lan ZR, Zhang XM (2012) Advances in molecular breeding research of goat fecundity. J Anim Vet Adv 11:449–453

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences (UGSAS), Tottori University, 1390 Hamasaka, Tottori, Tottori Prefecture, 680-0001, Japan

    Shigdaf Mekuriaw

  2. Amhara Region Agricultural Research Institute, Andassa Livestock Research Center, P.O.Box 27, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

    Shigdaf Mekuriaw

  3. Pasture and Range Scientist, Urael Branch, P.O. Box, 62291, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Alemayehu Mengistu

  4. College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Bahir Dar University, P.O. Box 79, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

    Firew Tegegne

Authors
  1. Shigdaf Mekuriaw
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Alemayehu Mengistu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Firew Tegegne
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shigdaf Mekuriaw .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. CFE - Centre for Functional Ecology - Science for People & the Planet, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    Paula Castro

  2. Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    Anabela Marisa Azul

  3. Faculty of Life Sciences, HAW Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

  4. Department of Biology and CESAM, Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

    Ulisses M. Azeiteiro

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Mekuriaw, S., Mengistu, A., Tegegne, F. (2019). Livestock Technologies and Grazing Land Management Options for Climate Change Adaption and Mitigation as a Contribution for Food Security in Ethiopia: A Brief Overview. In: Castro, P., Azul, A., Leal Filho, W., Azeiteiro, U. (eds) Climate Change-Resilient Agriculture and Agroforestry. Climate Change Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75004-0_22

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation